LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

University  of  California. 


Gl  FT    OF 


^ 


\ 


Class 


WILLIAM  ELEROY  CURTIS, 


THE  RELICS 


OF 


COLUHBUS. 


Souvenir 


LA  RABIDA 


World's  Columbian  Exposition 

Chicago,   1893 


SOUVENIR  OF  LA  RABIDA 
WORLD'S  COLUMBIAN  EXPOSITION 


Th§  Relics  of  Columbus 


an  Illustrated  Description  of  the  Historical 

Collection  in  the  Monastery 

of  La  Rabida 


BY 


WILLIAM  ELEROY  CURTIS 


Director  of  the  Bureau  of  the  American  Republics  and  Chief  of  the  Latin- 
American  Bureau,  World's  Columbian  Exposition. 


THE  WILLIAM  H.  LOWDERMILK  COMPANY, 

Publishers, 

WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 


Copyright  by  William  E.  Curtis,  1893. 


Conkey   Company,   Printers    and    Publishers. 


CLASSIFICATION  OF  THE  RELICS  OF  COLUMBUS 

EXHIBITED  IN 

THE  MONASTERY  OF  LA  RABIDA. 


Section 

A. 

Section 

B. 

Section 

C. 

Section 

D. 

Section 

E. 

Section 

F. 

Section 

G. 

Section 

H 

Section 

I. 

Section 

K. 

Section 

L. 

Section 

M 

Section 

N. 

Section 

O. 

Section 

P. 

Section 

Q. 

Section 

R 

PART  I 


Geographical  Knowledge  and  the  Science 
of  Navigation  at  the  Time  of  Columbus. 

The  Court  of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella 

The  Birth  and  Early  Life  of  Columbus  . . 

The  Career  of  Columbus  in  Spain 

Scenes  Associated  with  the  First  Voyage 

Scenes  Associated  with  the  Second  Voyage 

Scenes  Associated  with  the  Third  Voyage 

Scenes  Associated    with   the  Last  Voyage 

The  Last  Days  of  Columbus.  His  Death 
and    Burial 

The  Relics  of  Columbus 

The  Publication  of  the  Discovery 

The  Christening  of  the  Continent,  etc 

The  Conquest  of  Mexico  and  Peru,  and  the 
Settlement  of  Other  Portions  of  Amer- 


Page. 

7 
17 
25 
33 
47 
69 
86 
94 

103 
127 

137 

157 


ICA. 


Original  Papers  Relating  to  Columbus 
Loaned  by  the  Duke  of  Veragua 

Original  Papers  Relating  to  Columbus 
Loaned  by  the  Duchess  of  Berwick  and 
Alba 

The  Vatican  Exhibit 

The  John  Boyd  Thacher  Collection  of 
Valuable  Works  Relating  to  Columbus 
and  the  Discovery 


172 
186 


204 
210 


214 


1G9949 


6  INTRODUCTION. 

government  to  the  condition  in  which  it  stood  when  he  found 
an  asylum  there. 

The  date  of  the  first  visit  of  Columbus  to  La  Rabida  is  a 
matter  of  doubt  and  the  subject  of  discussion;  but  recent  re- 
searches seem  to  show  that  he  appeared  there  shortly  after  he 
left  Portugal  in  1484  or  1485,  when  he  was  on  his  way  to  Moquer, 
a  little  village  in  the  neighborhood,  where  he  intended  to  leave 
his  little  son  Diego,  then  nine  years  old,  with  his  sister-in-law,  a 
woman  named  Muliar,  while  he  went  to  the  Court  of  Ferdinand 
and  Isabella  at  Cordova  to  ask  their  aid  in  discovering  a  western 
passage  to  the  Indies.  Weary,  hungry  and  penniless,  he  ap- 
proached the  monastery  and  asked  food  and  drink  for  himself 
and  child.  The  good  monks  invited  him  in,  gave  him  refresh- 
ments, detained  him  for  several  months,  and  becoming  interested 
in  his  plans  gave  him  letters  to  influential  persons  at  court. 

His  next  appearance  there  was  several  years  later,  when,  dis- 
heartened by  the  indifference  and  procrastination  of  the  sover- 
eigns, he  was  about  to  leave  Spain  to  seek  aid  from  the  king  of 
France  or  the  Republics  of  Genoa  or  Venice.  Again  the  monks 
detained  him,  and  through  their  influence  he  was  invited  to  re- 
turn to  court  for  a  further  presentation  of  his  plans. 

His  third  visit  was  in  May,  1494,  when  he  came  back  bearing 
a  contract  with  the  sovereigns,  a  commission  as  Grand  Admiral 
of  the  Ocean  Seas,  and  a  royal  requisition  upon  the  people  of 
Palos  to  furnish  him  vessels  and  supplies  for  the  voyage.  He  re- 
mained a  guest  at  La  Rabida  while  making  his  preparations  for 
the  memorable  expedition,  and  on  the  morning  of  his  departure 
attended  mass  in  the  chapel. 

His  next  visit  was  upon  his  return  to  Palos  bearing  the  news 
and  the  trophies  of  his  triumph,  when  the  monks  sang  a  Te 
Deum  in  the  chapel  with  as  much  fervor  as  was  ever  felt  in 
human  worship.  Again  he  remained  a  guest  at  La  Rabida  until 
summoned  to  court. 

The  artistic  arrangement  of  the  pictures  is  the  work  of  Mr. 
Henry  Reinhardt,  of  the  firm  Roebel  &  Reinhardt,  Milwaukee. 


THE  RELICS  OF  COLUMBUS. 

AN   ILLUSTRATED  DESCRIPTION   OF    THE   HISTORICAL    COLLECTION 
IN   THE   MONASTERY  OF   LA   RABIDA. 


SECTION  A.     GEOGRAPHICAL  KNOWLEDGE  AND  THE  SCIENCE 
OF  NAVIGATION  AT  THE  TIME  OF  COLUMBUS. 


Model  of  a  Norse  ship,  such  as  Leif  Erikson  is  cupposed  to  have  used 
in  his  voyage  to  America. 

Loaned  by  the  National  Mu- 
seum, Washington.  It  is  not 
improbable  that  the#  Norseman 
cruised  along  the  coast  of  North 
America  centuries  before  Colum- 
bus was  born,  but  their  claim  to 
the  discovery  of  the  continent 
rests  entirely  upon  tradition,  po- 
etic legends,  and  some  slight  cir- 
cumstantial evidence.  '  In  860 
they  discovered  Iceland,  and  in 
874  established  there  a  republic, 
which  endured  for  four  centuries. 

America  discovered  in  the  tenth  century. 

By  Chas.  C.  Rafn,  secretary  to  the  Royal  Society  of  Northern  Antiquari- 
ans of  Copenhagen.     Loaned  by  William  E.  Curtis. 


A  Norse  ship. 


8  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

3.  Chart  showing  the  course  followed   by  Leif  Erikson  in  his  voyage  from 

Greenland  to  Vinland  in  the  tenth  century. 

Prepared  under  the  direction  of  the  late  Prof.  E.  N.  Horsford,  Cambridge. 

Eric  the  Red,  an  outlaw,  in  984  established  a  colony  in  Greenland.  In 
986  a  viking  named  Bjarne,  while  seeking  the  Greenland  colony, 
driven  by  northeasterly  gales,  is  supposed  to  have  sailed  as  far  south  as 
Nantucket.  When  Bjarne  returned  to  Norway,  he  sold  his  ship  to  Leif 
Erikson,  son  of  Eric  the  Red,  who  set  sail  with  a  crew  of  thirty-five 
men  and  found  the  lands  as  Bjarne  had  described  them.  Leif  called  the 
country  Vinland  because  he  found  wild  grapes  there,  and  spent  the  winter 
on  the  coast  of  Massachusetts. 

4.  Chart  showing  the  landfall  of  Leif  Erikson  on  the  New  England  coast. 

Prepared  by  Professor  Horsford. 

In  the  spring,  when  the  winds  were  favorable,  Leif  Erikson  returned  to 
Greenland.  His  brother  Thorwald  took  his  ship  and  went  to  Vinland, 
remaining  three  years.  The  latter  was  killed  by  the  savages  and 
buried  near  Fall  River,  so  the  story  goes,  with  crosses  to  mark  his  grave, 
one  at  the  head  and  one  at  his  feet. 

5.  Discovery  of  America  by  the  Norsemen. 

By  Prof.  Eben  Norton  Horsford.     Loaned  by  William  E.  Curtis. 

Eben  Norton  Horsford  was  born  at  Moscow,  New  York,  July  27,  1818, 
and  died  at  Cambridge,  Massachusetts,  January  1,  1893.  After  leading  a 
life  of  great  activity  and  usefulness,  serving  as  Rumford  professor  of 
applied  sciences  in  Harvard  University  for  sixteen  years,  and  making 
many  valuable  discoveries  in  chemistry,  he  retired  from  active  profes- 
sional duties  and  gave  himself  up  to  the  study  of  the  early  history  of 
America,  particularly  the  voyages  of  the  Norsemen.  He  erected  a  statue 
of  Leif  Erikson  in  Boston,  and  a  stone  tower  on  the  bank  of  the  Charles 
river,  at  the  site  of  ancient  Norumbega.  His  publications  include  many 
chemical  works  and  several  valuable  contributions  to  the  literature  of 
the  Norsemen  and  their  voyages  along  the  coast  of  America. 

Professor  Horsford  was  a  philanthropist  as  well  as  man  of  science, 
and  many  colleges  and  public  institutions  have  been  enriched  by  his  bene- 
factions. 

6.  Chart  showing  the  location  of  Leif  Erikson' s  houses  near  Boston. 

Prepared  by  Prof.  E.  N.  Horsford. 

In  1836  there  was  exhumed  near  Fall  River  a  skeleton  clad  in  a  broken 
and  corroded  armor,  which  was  made  the  subject  of  one  of  Longfellow's 
most  beautiful  poems:  "I  Was  a  Viking  Old."  The  remains  were  gen- 
erally accepted  as  those  of  an  Indian  until  Professor  Rafn,  the  distin- 
guished Scandinavian  scholar,  pronounced  them  those  of  a  Norse  chief,  and 
insisted  that  the  burial  place  of  Thorwald  Erikson  had  been  discovered. 


GEOGRAPHICAL    KNOWLEDGE    AT    THE    TIME    OF    COLUMBUS.  9 

7.  The  landfall  of  Leif  Erikson. 

Intended  to  establish  the  sites  of  the  villages  occupied  by  the  Norsemen 
in  the  tenth  century.  By  Prof.  Eben  Norton  Horsford.  Loaned  by  Will- 
iam E.  Curtis,  Washington. 

8.  Old  mill  at  Newport. 

An  old  tower  at  Newport,  Rhode  Island,  is  claimed  by  Professor  Rafn 
and  others  to  be  an  evidence  of  the  occupation  of  New  England  by  the 
Norsemen;  but  subsequent  investigations  have  shown  that  it  was  erected 
by  Governor  Arnold,  of  Rhode  Island,  for  a  windmill  some  time  between 
1670  and  1680,  and  is  the  copy  of  a  tower  of  a  mill  at  Chesterton,  England, 
where  Arnold  came  from. 

9.  Picture  of  a  Norse  ship  of  the  tenth  century. 

10.  Fac-simile  of  inscriptions  on  Dightoh  rock,   near  Taunton,   Massachu- 

setts, said  to  have  been  carved  by  the  Norsemen  in  the  tenth  century. 

Another  evidence  upon  which  the  claims  of  the  Norsemen  to  the  dis- 
covery of  America  rest  is  the  curious  rock  in  Taunton  river,  near  Digh- 
ton,  Massachusetts.  It  is  covered  with  hieroglyphics  which  Professor 
Rafn  and  other  Scandinavian  students  claim  to  be  inscriptions  to  the  effect 
that  Thorfinn  Karlsefne,  who  married  the  widow  of  Leif  Erikson's 
brother  and  followed  him  to  Vinland,  camped  there  and  took  possession 
of  the  country.  The  inscriptions  were  originally  believed  to  be  Phoeni- 
cian, and  until  1831  were  not  claimed  to  have  been  made  by  the  Norse- 
men. Col.  Garrick  Mallory,  who  has  given  his  life  to  the  study  of  the 
pictographs  of  the  North  American  Indians,  says:  "It  is  merely  a  type  of 
Algonquin  rock  carving.  It  is  of  purely  Indian  origin,  and  is  executed  in 
the  peculiar  symbolic  character  of  the  Kekeewin." 

11.  Fac-similes  of  the  Icelandic  sagas  of  the  fourteenth  century,  relating   to 

the  discovery  of  America  by  the  Norsemen. 

From  "  The  Finding  of  Vinland  the  Good,"  by  Arthur  Reeves,  London, 
1890.    Loaned  by  William  E.  Curtis. 

The  oldest  saga  concerning  the  voyages  of  the  Norsemen  to  America 
was  written  four  hundred  years  after  the  alleged  discovery  by  Erikson. 
These  sagas  are  contained  in  the  so-called  Codex  Flatoyenis,  a  manu- 
script discovered  in  the  seventeenth  century  in  a  monastery  on  an  island 
near  the  coast  of  Iceland, which  is  now  in  the  Royal  Library  at  Copenhagen. 

12.  Portrait  of  Kublai-Khan. 

The  fleet  of  Kublai-Khan,  emperor  of  the  Mongols,  is  said  to  have 
visited  America  in  the  thirteenth  century  under  the  command  of  his  son. 
Several  volumes  have  been  printed  to  prove  that  America  was  discovered 
by  the  Chinese  a.nd  Mongols,  who  occupied  Peru  and  Mexico.  John 
Ranking  published  in  1827  a  fantastic  theory  that  in  the  thirteenth  century 


10 


THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 


Kublai-Khan  sent  a  fleet  against  Japan,  which  was  scattered  in  a  storm. 
A  portion  of  the  ships  were  driven  eastward  until  they  reached  the  coast 
of  Peru,  where  the  son  of  Kublai-Khan  introduced  civilization  among  the 
natives  and  was  recognized  as  the  first  Inca. 

13.  Picture  of  the  statue  of  Leif  Erikson,  who  is  claimed  to  have  discovered 

America  in  the  tenth  century. 

Erected  on  Commonwealth  avenue, 
Boston,  by  the  Scandinavian  residents. 
Anne  Whitney,  sculptor.  Duplicate 
erected  on  Lake  Shore  drive  at  Mil- 
waukee. 

14.  Published  volumes  relating  to  the  dis- 

covery of  America  by  the  Norsemen 
in  the  tenth  century. 

15.  Fac-simile  of  page  288  of  the  History 

of  Cambria  (Wales),  written  in  1384. 

There  is  a  legend  in  Wales  that 
Prince  Madoc,  a  son  of  Owen  Gwynedd, 
the  King  of  Cambria;  in  1170,  estab- 
lished a  colony  in  a  fertile  land  across 
the  ocean.  Leaving  his  crew  he  re- 
turned to  Wales  and  fitted  out  a  larger 

expedition,    but    was    heard    from    no  Statue  of  Leif  Erikson. 

more.     Humboldt  suggests  that  the  story  is  not  improbable. 

16.  The  discovery  of  America  by  the  Mongols  in  the  thirteenth  century. 

A  curious  book  by  John  Ranking.  Published  in  1827.  Loaned  by 
William  E.  Curtis. 

17.  Fac-simile  of  the  Zeno  chart. 

About  1319  a  Venetian  navigator  named  Nicolo  Zeno  started  from 
Venice,  passed  Gibraltar,  and  sailed  northward.  His  vessel  was  cast 
ashore  upon  one  of  the  Faroe  Islands.  He  sent  for  his  brother  Antonio, 
who  assisted  him  in  subjugating  the  Shetland  Islands,  and  sailed  west- 
ward as  far  as  Greenland.  On  their  return  the  brothers  prepared  a  chart 
of  the  lands  they  had  visited,  and  Nicolo  wrote  an  entertaining  account  of 
his  adventures.  In  1558,  sixty-six  years  after  the  discovery  of  Columbus, 
this  paper  and  the  chart  were  published  under  the  title  "Die  Commentarii 
del  Viaggio,"  and  upon  it  was  based  the  claim  that  the  Zeno  brothers 
had  visited  America  and  were  entitled  to  the  credit  of  discovering  the 
continent. 

18.  Fac-simile  of  the  Toscanelli  map. 

Columbus   got   the   greatest   encouragement   in  his  belief  in  a  western 


GEOGRAPHICAL    KNOWLEDGE    AT    THE    TIME    OF    COLUMBUS.         I  I 

passage  to  India,  and  his  notions  of  the  opulence  and  magnificence  of  that 
land,  from  Paolo  Toscanelli,  an  eminent  Italian  physician  and  geographer, 
who  died  in  1482.  In  1474  Toscanelli  received  a  letter  from  Columbus, 
then  in  Portugal,  asking  his  opinions.  To  this  he  replied  at  length,  send- 
ing him  a  copy  of  his  map  of  the  known  world,  which  Columbus  carried 
on  all  his  voyages. 

19.  Copy  of  a  letter  from  Toscanelli  made  by  Columbus  on  the  fly  leaf  of  a 

book  now  in  the  Columbus  Library  at  Seville. 

"Toscanelli  has  the  great  honor  and  merit  of  giving  a  powerful  impulse 
to  the  mind  of  Columbus,  and  encouraging  him  to  increased  zeal  and 
unwearied  activity  in  carrying  out  the  great  undertaking  that  was  to  alter 
the  face  of  the  earth." — Tarducci. 

20.  Portrait  of  Marco  Polo. 

From  an  original  in  Rome. 

This  famous  Venetian  traveler  in  1298  first  made  China  and  India 
known  to  the  people  of  Europe.  He  visited  India  in  1271  and  wrote  an 
amazing  account  of  his  travels.  The  Polo  family  were  among  the  merchant 
princes  of  Venice.  Two  brothers  made  an  overland  trip  into  Cathay  in 
1260,  and  eleven  years  later  repeated  it,  taking  with  them  Marco  Polo,  a  lad 
of  seventeen  years.  They  traveled  through  Thibet  to  China,  and  as  far 
south  as  Hindustan,  and  returned  to  Venice  twenty-four  years  later,  where 
their  friends  had  given  them  up  as  dead.  In  1298,  having  joined  the 
army  of  Venice  in  a  war  against  the  Genoese,  Marco  was  captured,  and 
while  in  prison  in  Genoa  dictated  an  account  of  his  adventures  to  a  fellow 
captive,  describing  Thibet,  China,  Burmah,  Hindustan,  Java,  Sumatra  and 
other  places  he  had  visited.  This  book  conveyed  the  first  knowledge  that 
the  Europeans  had  of  the  great  nations  of  the  East;  it  had  a  great  influence 
upon  commerce  and  civilization,  and  was  circulated  extensively  in  manu- 
script form  until  the  invention  of  printing,  when  numerous  editions  were 
published  in  several  languages.  The  copy  read  by  Columbus  and  carried 
by  him  on  his  several  voyages  as  a  guide  to  the  lands  he  expected  to  visit 
was  printed  in  Latin,  at  Antwerp,  in  1485,  and  is  still  preserved  in  the 
Columbian  Library  at  Seville,  Spain,  with  many  marginal  notes  in  his 
own  handwriting. 

21.  Medallion  of  Marco  Polo. 

From  a  German  geography,  Lowenberg. 

22.  "  De    Regionibus    Orientalibus."     The  travels    of 

Marco  Polo,  Latin  edition.    The  same  that   was 
carried  by  Columbus  on  his  first  voyage. 

23.  Photograph  of  the  manuscript  notes  of  Columbus 

on  the  copy  of  Marco  Polo  in  Columbian  Library 

at  Seville.  Marco  Polo. 


12  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

24.  Portrait  of  Claudius  Ptolemy. 

Columbus  had  with  him  constantly,  and  studied  with  great  care,  the 
Latin  edition  of  Ptolemy.  Claudius  Ptolemy,  the  first  great  geographer, 
was  born  in  Greece,  but  gained  his  fame  in  Egypt  during  the  second 
century  after  Christ,  when  he  wrote  a  geography  that  was  accepted  as  a 
standard  text-book  for  fourteen  centuries.  He  proved  the  earth  to  be  a 
globe,  and  invented  the  system  of  latitude  to  determine  geographical 
divisions  and  distances.  The  edition  used  by  Columbus  was  that  pub- 
lished in  Latin  in  1475.     This  contained  a  map  showing  Greenland. 

25a.  Copy  of  the  1475  edition  of  Ptolemy's  Cosmographia,  used  by  Columbus, 
from  the  Congressional  Library  at  Washington. 

25.  Ptolemy's  Cosmographia.    Edition  of  1482. 
Loaned  by  James  W.  Ellsworth,  Chicago,  111. 

26.  The  i486  edition  of  Ptolemy. 

Printed  in  Venice  at  the  expense  of  Justus  de  Albano,  by  John  Regor. 
Loaned  by  E.  Francis  Riggs,  Washington,  U.  C. 

27.  The  151 1  edition  of  Ptolemy. 

Printed  at  Venice  by  Jacobum  Pentinm  de  Leucho,  with  initial  letters 
rubricated  by  hand.     Loaned  by  William  E.  Curtis. 

This  edition  is  exceedingly  rare,  as  it  contains  the  results  of  the  third 
voyage  of  Columbus  and  the  second  and  third  voyages  of  Americus  Ves- 
pucius.  It  shows  Cuba  to  be  northeast  of  Hispaniola  (Santo  Domingo), 
and  South  America  to  be  a  continent  which  is  called  Tierre  Sanctce 
Cruets  (the  land  of  the  true  cross).  Greenland  is  drawn  as  a  peninsula  of 
northwestern  Europe. 

28.  Fac-simile  of  pages  of  the  "Historia  Rerum  Ubique  Gestarum,"  showing 

marginal  notes  in  the  handwriting  of  Columbus. 

Another  volume  from  which  Columbus  gained  many  arguments  and 
much  information  to  sustain  his  theory  of  a  passage  to  India  was  the 
"Historia  Rerum  Ubique  Gestarum,"  by  yEneas  Sylvius,  published  at 
Venice  in  1477.  He  kept  it  constantly  with  him,  and  his  copy  with  mar- 
ginal notes  is  also  still  to  be  seen  in  the  Columbian  Library  at  Seville.  On 
the  fly  leaf  he  transcribed  the  letter  he  received  from  Paolo  Toscanelli. 
yEneas  Sylvius  Picolonini,  the  author,  was  an  eminent  theologian,  astron- 
omer and  geographer  (1405-1464),  Bishop  of  Trieste  in  1447,  Cardinal  in 
1458,  and  Pope  of  Rome  under  the  title  Pius  II,  in  1458. 

29.  Fac-simile  of  pages  of  "  De  Imago  Mundi,"   showing  marginal  notes  in 

the  handwriting  of  Columbus. 

Columbus  studied,  and  had  with  him  on  his  first  voyage,  a  copy  of  the 
1490  edition  of  a  celebrated  work  called  "Imago  Mundi"  (Image  of  the 


GEOGRAPHICAL    KNOWLEDGE    AT    TH.E    TIME    OF    COLUMBUS.         1 3' 

World),  or  "  De  Imagine  Mundi"  originally  written  by  Cardinal  Petris  di 
Alliaco,  or  Pierre  D'Ai.lly,  in  1410.  The  author  was  a  distinguished  pre- 
late, Dean  of  the  University  of  Navarre,  Bishop  of  Cambray,  and  after- 
ward a  cardinal.  The  identical  copy  used  by  Columbus  is  preserved  in 
the  Columbian  Library  at  Seville,  which  was  founded  by  his  son  Ferdi- 
nand. 

30.     Page  124  of  "Theologia,"  with  marginal  notes  in  the  handwriting  of 

Columbus. 

Original  in  Columbian  Library  at  Seville. 

In  the  collection  of  books  at  Seville,  which  formerly  belonged  to  Fer- 
nando Colon,  is  a  copy  of  the  work  entitled  "Historia  Naturale  di  C.  Plinio 
Secondo  Tradocta  di  Lingua  Latina  in  Fiorentina  per  Christophoro  Lan- 
dino  Fiorentino  al  Serenissimo  Ferdinando  Re  di  Napoli,"  which  was  pub- 
lished at  Venice  in  1489,  and  still  retains  the  original  wooden  binding- 
covered  with  skin.  Upon  the  margin  is  a  note,  in  the  handwriting  of 
Columbus,  which  reads  as  follows: 

"Del  ambra  es  cierto  nascere  in  India  soto  tierra  he  yo  ne  Ho  Fato 
Cuare  in  molti  monti  in  la  isola  de  feyti  vel  de  ofir  vel  de  cipango,  a  la 
quale  Habio  Posto  Nome  Spangnola  y  ne  O  Trovato  pieca  grande  como  el 
capo,  ma  no  tota  chiara,  salvo  de  chiaro,  y  parda  y  otra  negra,  y  vene 
asay." 

Columbus  thus  refers  to  the  fact  that  he  found  amber  in  the  Island  of 
Hispaniola,  which  he  supposed  to  be  the  land  of  Ophir  referred  to  by  Solo- 
mon, or  the  Cipango  of  Marco  Polo. 

32.     Fac-simile  of  the  terrestrial  globe  made  by  Martin  Behaim,  1492. 

Made  by  E.  de  Grandpre,  Paris.  Loaned  by  the  National  Museum, 
Washington. 

The  earliest  globe  of  importance  known  to  geographers  bears  date  1492, 
and  is  made  of  pasteboard  covered  with  parchment,  about  twenty-one 
inches  in  diameter,  on  which  are  designed  historical  pictures  with  their 
legends,  written  in  old  German.  The  first  meridian  passes  through 
Madeira,  and  the  only  other  lines  on  it  are  those  of  the  equator,  the  two 
tropics  and  the  polar  circles.  "As  a  monument  of  geography  it  is  of  the 
highest  importance,  being  the  only  original  document  that  has  come 
down  to  us  in  this  form  embodying  the  geographical  ideas  of  its  author, 
with  those  of  his  gifted  contemporaries,  Toscanelli,  Columbus,  etc.  This 
globe  represents,  with  some  slight  modifications,  most  of  the  dispropor- 
tions of  the  Ptolemaic  geography,  into  which  is  incorporated  information 
evidently  derived  from  the  travels  of  Marco  Polo  and  Sir  J.  Mandeville. 
It  was  executed  by  Behaim  while  on  a  visit  to  his  native  city,  Nuremberg 
(1491-3),  after  a  sojourn  of  five  years  in  the  Azores." 


14  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

33.  Ghillany's    Life  of  Martin   Behaim,  with    many  interesting  maps  and 

charts.  (Loaned  by  William  E.  Curtis,  Washington.) 
Martin  Behaim,  whose  works  Columbus  studied,  was  born  at  Nurem- 
berg. Attracted  by  the  discoveries  the  Portuguese  were  making,  he  went 
to  Lisbon.  King  John  II,  in  1481,  made  him  president  of  a  council 
charged  with  the  directions  of  voyages  of  discovery.  In  1484,  he  made  a 
voyage  along  the  African  coast  and  discovered  the  Congo.  While  in 
Portugal,  Columbus  met  and  conversed  with  him  frequently.  In  1492 
Behaim  returned  to  Nuremberg  and  constructed  a  globe  which  repre- 
sented the  most  advanced  knowledge  of  geography  at  that  date. 
The  original  remains  in  the  family  at  Nuremburg. 

34.  Portrait  of  Martin  Behaim. 

35.  Arms   and   armor   of  the  time  of  Columbus. 

Originals  in  the  Royal  Armory,  Madrid. 

Model  of  Armor;  Models  of  Armor;  Models  of  Armor;  Models  of  Armor; 
Models  of  Armor;  Models  of  Chain  Armor;  Models  of  Chain  Armor; 
Models  of  Chain  Armor;  Models  of  Chain  Armor;  Models  of  Chain  Armor; 
Models  of  Chain  Armor;  Specimens  of  Chain  Armor;  Specimens  of  Chain 
Armor;  Armor  of  Guzman  the  Good;  Armor  of  Guzman  the  Good; 
Armor  of  Guzman  the  Good;  Armor  of  Guzman  the  Good;  Armor  of  the 
Cid;  Armor  of  the  Cid;  Armor  of  Charles  V;  Armor  of  Charles  V;  Armor 
of  Charles  V;  Armor  of  Charles  V;  Armor  of  Boabdil;  Armor  of  Boabdil 
Armor  of  Boabdil;  Armor  of  Boabdil;  Armor  of  Ferdinand  the  Catholic 
Armor  of  Ferdinand  the  Catholic;  Armor  of  Ferdinand  the  Catholic 
Armor  of  Ferdinand  the  Catholic;  Armor  of  Isabella  the  Catholic;  Armor 
of  Isabella  the  Catholic;  Armor  of  Phillip  II;  Armor  of  Phillip  II;  Armor 
of  Gonzalez  de  Cordova;  Armor  of  Gonzalez  de  Cordova;  Armor  of  Car- 
dinal Ximines;  Armor  of  Cardinal  Ximines;  Armor  of  Don  Juan  of  Aus- 
tria; Horse  Armor  of  Ferdinand  the  Catholic;  Horse  Armor  of  Ferdinand 
the  Catholic;  Model  of  Arms;  Models  of  Arms;  Models  of  Arms;  Models 
of  Arms;  Models  of  Arms;  Models  of  Arms;  Models  of  Arms;  Golden 
Sword  of  Isabella;  Golden  Sword  of  Isabella;  Golden  Sword  of  Isabella; 
Sword  of  Isabella  the  Catholic;  Sword  of  Isabella  the  Catholic;  Golden 
Sword  of  King  Ferdinand;  Sword  of  King  Ferdinand;  Swords  of  King 
Ferdinand;  Swords  of  King  Ferdinand;  Sword  of  Ferdinand  the  Catholic; 
Sword  of  Ferdinand  the  Catholic;  Sword  of  Charles  V;  Sword  of  Charles 
V;  Sword  of  Charles  V;  Sword  of  Philip  II;  Sword  of  Philip  II;  Sword 
of  Philip  II;  Sword  of  Philip  II;  Sword  of  Boabdil;  Sword  of  Boabdil; 
Swords  of  Pizarro;  Sword  of  Pizarro;  Shield  representing  the  Discovery 
of  America;  The  Shield  of  Fortune;  The  Shield  of  Fortune;  The  Shield  of 
Medusa;  The  Shield  of  Medusa;  The  Shield  of  the  Siren;  The  Shield  of  the 
Siren;  Shield  of  the  Lion;  Shield  of  the  Lion;  Shield  of  Silver  and  Gold; 


GEOGRAPHICAL    KNOWLEDGE    AT    THE    TIME    OF    COLUMBUS.         1 5 

Shield  of  Gold  and  Silver;  Shield  of  Gold  and  Silver;  Shield  of  Silver  and 
Gold;  Shield  of  Silver  and  Gold;  Shield  of  Silver  and  Gold;  The  Banner 
of  Charles  V;  Banner  of  Charles  V;  Banner  of  St.  Christopher;  Banner  of 
St.  Christopher;  Banner  of  St.  James;  Banner  of  St.  James;  Banner  of  St. 
James;  Banner  of  St.  James;  Banner  of  St.  James;  The  Banner  of  the 
Cock;  The  Banner  of  the  Cock;  The  Grand  Standard  of  Spain;  The  Grand 
Standard  of  Spain;  Helmet  and  Litter  of  Charles  V;  Helmet  and  Litter 
of  Charles  V;  Helmet  of  Cardinal  Ximines;  Helmet  of  Cardinal  Ximines; 
Helmet  of  Cardinal  Ximines;  Helmet  of  King  James;  Helmet  of  King 
James;  Models  of  Helmets;  Helmets;  Gold  and  Silver  Helmets;  Gold  and 
Silver  Helmets;  Helmets;  Helmets  and  Armor;  Models  of  Helmets  and 
Armor;  Models  of  Helmets  and  Shoes;  Models  of  Helmets  and  Shoes; 
Helmets  and  Water  Cask;  Gauntlet;  Gauntlet  of  Cisneros;  Gauntlet  of 
Cisneros;  Models  of  Spears;  Models  of  Spears;  Models  of  Cross  Bows; 
Models  of  Cross  Bows;  Saddles  of  Isabella  the  Catholic;  Saddles  of  Isa- 
bella the  Catholic;  Models  of  Saddle-cloths;  Models  of  Saddle-cloths; 
Stirrups  of  Ferdinand  the  Catholic;  Stirrups  of  Ferdinand  the  Catholic; 
The  Stirrups  and  Equipments  of  Ferdinand  the  Catholic;  The  Stirrups  and 
Equipments  of  Ferdinand  the  Catholic;  Models  of  Stirrups  and  Powder- 
Horns;  Models  of  Stirrups  and  Powder-Horns;  Models  of  Stirrups;  Models 
of  Stirrups;  Models  of  Spurs;  Models  of  Spurs;  Horse  Bits;  Horse  Bits; 
Models  of  Maces;  Models  of  Maces;  Keys  for  Ancient;  Keys  for  Ancient. 

38.     Fac-simile  of  a  celestial  globe  in  bronze. 

Made  by  the  Arabs  in  the  eleventh   century.      Original  in  National 
Library  at  Paris. 

40.  Crusaders'  map  of  the  thirteenth  century,  representing  the  journey  from 

London  to  Jerusalem. 

41.  Fac-simile  of  a  map  showing  itinerary  of  the  pilgrimage  from   London 

to  Jerusalem. 

42.  Fac-simile  of  map  indicating  the  route  of  the  pilgrimage  from   London 

to  Jerusalem. 

43.  Fac-simile  of  chart  of  the  thirteenth  century,  belonging  to  an  old  family 

of  Pisa. 

44.  Fac-simile  of  old  charts,  tenth,  thirteenth,  fourteenth  and   fifteenth  cen- 

turies. 

45.  Curious  maps  of  the  fifteenth  century. 

46.  Fac-simile  of  an  atlas  of  Petrus  Vessconte,  1318. 

47.  Italian  map  of  the  fifteenth  century,  in  perspective. 

48.  Military  map  of  the  Middle  Ages. 

50.     Map  of  east  coast  of  Newfoundland  and  coast  of  Labrador. 


i6 


THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 


52.  Fac-simile  of  the  eastern  hemisphere,  from  the  map  of  Martin  Behaim, 

1492. 

53.  Fac-simile  of  the  western  hemisphere,  from  the  map  of  Martin  Behaim, 

1492. 
36.     Chart  showing  the  world  as  it  is,  and  as  Columbus  thought  it  to  be. 


54.     Map  of  the  United  States  showing  the  number  and  location  of  places 
named  in  honor  of  Columbus.  \ 


THE    COURT    OF    FERDINAND    AND    ISABELLA. 


17 


SECTION  B.     THE  COURT  OF  FERDINAND  AND  ISABELLA. 


55. 


56. 


57- 


Isabella  as  a  child. 

Artist  unknown.     Original  in  Madrid. 

Isabella,  surnamed  the  Catholic,  was  born  April 
22,  1451,  and  married  Ferdinand  of  Aragon,  at 
Valladolid,  October  19,  1469.  On  the  death  of  her 
brother  Henry,  she  was  proclaimed  Queen  of  Cas- 
tile and  Leon,  December  13, 1474.  Through  the  union 
of  crowns  of  Castile  and  Aragon,  and  the  subsequent 
consolidation  of  power,  the  expulsion  of  the  Moors 
from  Spain  was  consummated  by  the  fall  of  Gra- 
nada, in  1492.  The  same  year  that  saw  the  star  of 
Spain  in  the  ascendant  witnessed  also  the  discovery 
of  America,  for  it  was  under  the  walls  of  Granada 
that  the  capitulation  was  signed  with  Columbus.  Isabella  died  at  Medir  a 
del  Campo,  November  24,  1504. 
Isabella  as  a  queen. 

Original  in  Royal  Palace,  Madrid,  by  Antonio  Rincon. 

"Isabella,"  says  Washington  Irving,  "was  well  formed,  of  the  middle 
size,  with  great  dignity  and  graceful- 
ness of  deportment,  and  a  mingled 
gravity  and  sweetness  of  demeanor. 
Her  complexion  was  fair,  her  hair  au- 
burn, inclining  to  red;  her  eyes  were  of 
a  clear  blue,  with  a  benign  expression, 
and  there  was  a  singular  modesty  in  her 
countenance,  gracing  as  it  did  a  won- 
derful firmness  of  purpose  and  earnest- 
ness of  spirit."  ^ 
Picture  of  Isabella  in  armor. 

By  Leopold  Flameng. 

Queen  Isabella  is  said  to  have  par- 
ticipated actively  in  the  siege  of  Gra- 
nada. The  armor  that  she  wore  at  this 
time  is  preserved  in  the  Armoria  at 
Madrid. 
2 


Isabella  in  armor. 


18 


THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 


Ferdinand  as  a  boy. 


58.  King  Ferdinand  as  a  boy. 

Original  in  Madrid. 

Ferdinand  V,  King  of  Aragon,  Castile,  Naples  and  Sicily,  was  born  the 
10th  of  March,  1452.  He  survived  Isabella  some  twelve  years,  dying 
January  23,  1516. 

59.  Portrait  of  King  Ferdinand. 

"Ferdinand  was  of  the  middle  stature, 
well  proportioned  and  hardy,  and  active 
from  athletic  exercise.  His  carriage  was 
free  and  majestic.  He  had  a  clear,  serene 
forehead,  which  appeared  more  lofty  from 
his  head  being  partly  bald.  His  eyebrows 
were  large  and  parted  and,  like  his  hair,  of 
a  bright  chestnut.  His  eyes  were  clear 
and  animated,  his  complexion  somewhat 
ruddy,  his  mouth  moderate  and  well 
formed  and  gracious  in  its  expression,  his 
teeth  white,  though  small  and  irregular,  his 
voice  sharp,  his  speech  quick  and  fluent." 
— Irving. 

60.  Isabella  signing  the  Capitulation  of  Granada. 

By  Geoffroy  de  Apres.     Original  in  the  Royal  Palace  at  Madrid. 

61.  Original  of  the  will  of  Isabella  the  Catholic. 

Made  at  Medina  del  Campo,  November  23,  1504.  Loaned  by  the 
Government  of  Spain  at  the  request  of  the  President  of  the  United  States. 
(In  the  Chapel.) 

The  will  is  in  the  handwriting  of  the  Queen's  private  secretary,  Gasper 
de  Gricio,  and  consists  of  four  sheets  of  vellum.  The  covers  were  made 
in  1881  by  Crispulo  Avecilla,  an  artist  of  Toledo,  and  are  embossed  and 
inlaid  with  gold,  silver  and  iron.  In  one  of  the  clauses  of  the  will  Isa- 
bella recommends  the  protection  of  the  persons  and  property  of  the 
Indians  in  the  New  World.  It  is  witnessed  by  the  Bishop  of  Calahorra; 
D.  Fadrique  de  Portugal;  Don  Valeriano  Ordonez  de  Villaguiran;  Rod- 
rigo,  Bishop  of  the  City;  Doctor  Martin  Fernandez  de  Angulo;  Arch 
Deacon  of  Talavera;  D.  Pedro  de  Oropesa,  and  Licentiate    Luis    Zapata. 

62.  Fac-simile  of  the  will  of  Isabella. 

63.  Crown  of  Isabella. 

64.  Fac-simile  of  the  sword  of  Isabella.    (In  the  Chapel.) 

65.  Missal,  treasure-chest,  scepter  and  sword  of  Isabella  in  the  Cathedral 

at  Granada. 

In  a  room  adjoining  the  Royal  Chapel  in  Granada  are  shown  several 


THE    COURT    OF    FERDINAND    AND    ISABELLA. 


19 


relics  of  Isabella  and  Ferdinand,  such  as  the  missal  and  scepter  of  the 
Queen,  her  sword  and  treasure-chest  used  in  the  wars  in  the  south  of 
Spain. 

66.     Castle  at  Medina  del  Campo,  in  which  Queen  Isabella  died. 

Medina  del  Campo,  the  fa-  

mous  City  of  the  Plain,  lies 
some  twenty-five  miles  south 
of  Valladolid  (whereColumbus 
died),  and  is  the  junction  of  the 
railroads  leading  in  one  direc- 
tion to  the  ancient  city  of  Se- 
govia, and  in  the  other  to 
Salamanca.  Here,says  the  his- 
torian, Caesar  Borgia  was  con- 
fined two  years,  and  in  the  same 
castle  of  La  Mota,  Isabella, 
Queen  of  Spain,  died  in  the 
year  1504. 
£7.  Tomb  of  Isabella  and  Ferdi- 
nand in  the  Royal  Chapel 
at  Granada. 

Attached  to  the  Cathedral 
of  Granada,  in  the  "Royal 
Chapel,"  are  the  tombs  of  Isa- 
bella and  Ferdinand,  of  the 
finest  alabaster  and  surmounted  by  the  chiseled  effigies  of  the  great 
sovereigns  of  Spain.  Beneath  these  tombs  is  a  vault  containing  four 
leaden  coffins,  enclosing  their  remains  and  those  of  their  daughter,  Joanna, 
and  her  husband.  Granada  was  considered  by  them  the  brightest  jewel 
in  their  crown,  and  they  commanded  that  they  should  be  brought  there 
to  be  buried,  wherever  they  might  die. 

<68.     Surrender  of  Boabdil,  the  last  king  of  the  Moors,  to  Isabella. 

Original  in  the  Senate  at  Madrid. 

Upon  the  bank  of  the  Xenil,  the  river  that  flows  through  the  vega  of 
Granada,  west  of  the  Alhambra  fortifications  and  the  Hill  of  the  Sun, 
stands  a  small  chapel,  San  Sebastian,  erected  on  the  spot  where  the  last 
Moorish  king,  Boabdil,  delivered  to  the  Spanish  sovereigns  the  keys  of 
his  castle  and  palace.  An  ancient  inscription  gives  the  particulars  of  the 
ceremony.  Directly  west,  in  the  hills,  is  the  pass  through  which  Boabdil 
rode  when  on  his  way  out  of  the  kingdom,  and  known  as  the  "Last  Sigh  of 
the  Moor."— El  ultimo  suspiro  del  Moro. 


Castle  at  Medina  del  Campo. 


20  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

69.     View  of  the  Alhambra  at  Granada. 


,.    -'■.     fjt! 

•  'y 

^mmmmm^H^'%^ 

■  -idfl 

..  1 

Vr'tf' 

■ 

t\ 

-                 -3r^^H 

m 


Columbus  arrived  at  Granada 

in  time  to  witness  the  surrender 

of  Boabdil   and  the   triumphal 

entry  of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella 

into  the  wonderful  palace  of  the 

Moorish  kings.  In  fact,  one  of 

The  Iron  Gateway  of  the  Alhambra.  his  interviews  with  Isabella  took 

place  in  one  of   the   salons   of   the  Alhambra — the   handsome    "Hall  of 

Justice." 

70.  Torre  de  los  Picos— the  Iron  Gateway — through  which  Boabdil,  the  last 
king  of  the  Moors,  rode  to  deliver  the  keys  of  the  Alhambra  to  Ferdi- 
nand and  Isabella. 

The  "Hill  of  the  Sun,"  upon  which  the  Moors  erected  the  great  line  of 
fortifications,  including  the  Alhambra  Palace,  overlooks  the  city  of  Gra- 
nada and  dominates  the  country  around.  Numerous  towers  rise  above  the 
wall  at  intervals,  and  through  some  of  them  are  the  entrance-ways  and  the 
exits  of  the  castle.  The  Torre  de  los  Picos,  or  battlemented  tower,  guards 
the  side  next  the  ravine  leading  to  the  river  Darro,  and  through  this,, 
tradition  relates,  Boabdil  rode  for  the  last  time,  when  on  his  way  to- 
Granada  to  submit  to  Ferdinand  and  Isabella. 


THE    COURT    OF    FERDINAND    AND    ISABELLA.  21 

79.  Statue  of  Prince  Don  Juan,  son  of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella. 

80.  Prince  Don  Juan  of  Aragon,  son  of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella. 

Don  Juan,  Prince  of  Asturias,  the  second  child  of  the  Catholic  king 
was  born  June  30,  1478,  at  Seville.  In  1497  he  married  the  Princess  Mar 
garet  of  Austria,  daughter  of  the  Emperor  Maximilian,  and  died  on  the  4th 
of  October,  1497. 

81.  Princess  Isabella,  daughter  of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella. 

Dona  Isabel,  the  eldest  child  of  the  Catholic  king,  was  born  October  1, 
1470,  and  married  Don  Alonzo,  the  heir  of  the  Portuguese  crown,  in  1490. 
Upon  her  husband's  death,  which  occurred  a  few  months  after  the  mar- 
riage, she  went  to  Spain,  but  was  prevailed  upon  in  1497  to  marry  Don 
Manuel,  the  King  of  Portugal.  She  died  one  year  afterward,  August 
23,  1498. 

82.  Don  Juan,  King  of  Aragon. 

Don  Juan  II,  father  of  Ferdinand  the  Catholic,  became  King  of  Aragon, 
in  1458,  upon  the  death  of  his  brother  Alfonso  the  Magnanimous,  who  left 
no  children.     He  died  in  1479. 

83.  Dona   Juana,   daughter   of  Ferdinand   and    Isabella,  wife  of  Philip  the 

Handsome. 

Dona  Juana,  called  "la  loccT  or  "the  insane,"  was  born  at  Toledo, 
November  6,  1479;  married  in  1496  the  Archduke,  Philip  of  Austria, 
called  "  the  Handsome,"  by  whom  she  had  two  sons,  Charles,  afterward 
Emperor  Charles  V,  and  Ferdinand.  Soon  after  she  lost  her  mind,  and 
died  in  1555. 

84.  Portrait  of  Charles  V  of  Spain. 

Charles  V  of  Spain,  grandson  of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella,  the  son  of 
their  daughter,  Juana,  was  born  in  1500,  in  Ghent.  By  the  death  of  his 
father  in  1506,  he  fell  heir  to  the  Netherlands;  to  the  crown  of  Spain  and 
Naples  on  the  death  of  his  grandfather,  Ferdinand,  and  to  the  archduke- 
dom of  Austria  by  the  death  of  his  grandfather,  Maximilian,  in  1519. 
Thus  was  concentrated  into  the  hands  of  a  single  individual  the  most 
opulent  kingdoms  of  Europe,  and  at  the  same  time  he  became  possessed 
of  all  the  vast  regions  discovered  by  Columbus,  Cortez,  Pizarro,  Magel- 
lan, and  all  the  Spanish  explorers  during  the  reign  of  his  grandparents 
and  his  own.  He  was  the  most  powerful  monarch  of  his  time,  but  did 
not  rise  to  the  dignity  of  his  vast  possessions  and  potential  influence.  It 
was  during  his  reign  that  the  Reformation  started  and  made  its  great  prog- 
ress, though  against  his  will.  In  the  year  1535  he  made  an  expedition 
against  Tunis  and  defeated  Barbarossa.  In  1540  he  brought  the  city  of 
Ghent  into  subjection.  He  was  defeated  at  Metz,  1552.  In  1554  his  son 
Philip  was  married  to  Mary  of  England,  and  to  him  was  transferred  the 


22  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

crown  of  Naples.  In  1555,  he  abdicated  his  power  in  the  Netherlands;  in 
1556,  formally  resigned  the  crown  of  Spain,  and  retired  to  the  Convent  of 
Yuste,  in  Estramadura,  where  he  died  in  1558. 

85.  Charles  V  and  his  wife,  Isabella  of  Portugal. 

Married  in  1526,  the  union  of  Charles  and  Isabella  was  happy.  The 
king  entertained  for  her  great  affection  and  long  lamented  her  death, 
which  occurred  in  1539. 

86.  King  Phillip  II. 

Phillip  II  of  Spain,  son  of  Charles  V  and  Isabella  of  Portugal,  was 
born  at  Valladolid,  1527.  In  1543,  he  married  Mary  of  Portugal,  who 
died  soon  after  the  birth  of  a  son,  Don  Carlos.  He  married  in  1554,  Mary 
of  England,  "Bloody  Mary,"  who  died  in  1558,  and  in  1559  was  united  to 
Isabella,  daughter  of  Henry  II  of  France.  He  won  important  victories 
over  the  French,  and  under  the  Duke  of  Alva  his  armies  invaded  the 
Netherlands.  He  imprisoned  his  own  son,  Carlos,  who  died  in  1568.  In 
1570  he  married  his  fourth  wife,  Anne  of  Austria,  who  died  in  1580,  leaving 
one  son  who  survived  as  Phillip  III.  In  1588,  he  sent  against  England  the 
"  Invincible  Armada,"  which  was  destroyed  by  a  storm.  Though  not 
inclined  for  war,  yet  he  managed  to  impoverish  his  kingdom,  and  in 
1597  repudiated  his  debts.  He  is  remembered  for  his  hatred  of  heretics, 
whom  he  persecuted  relentlessly;  and  his  great  monument  is  the  Escorial, 
the  palace  he  built,  and  in  which  he  died,  in  1598. 

87.  King  Alfonso  XII.  of  Spain. 

Alfonso  XII,  eldest  son  of  ex-Queen  Isabella  II,  born  the  28th  of 
November,  1857,  died  25th  of  November,  1885,  was  at  first  expelled  from 
Spain  with  his  mother,  1868,  but  recalled  and  proclaimed  King  of  Spain, 
1874,  assuming  command  of  the  Spanish  army  January,  1875.  He  suc- 
ceeded in  quelling  the  Carlist  rebellion  in  1876,  and  enjoyed  a  peaceful 
reign  until  his  death,  becoming  endeared  to  his  subjects  by  his  courage, 
and  his  attention  to  their  welfare.  In  1878  he  married  his  cousin,  Maria 
de  las  Mercedes,  daughter  of  the  Duke  of  Montpensier,  but  she  died  six 
months  later;  and  in  November,  1879,  he  married  the  Archduchess  Maria 
Christina,  of  Austria.  Although  very  popular,  several  unsuccessful 
attempts  were  made  to  assassinate  him;  but  his  death  was  from  natural 
causes.  By  his  second  marriage  he  had  two  daughters,  Mercedes,  born 
September,  1880,  and  Maria  Theresa,  born  November,  1882.  A  posthu- 
mous son  was  born  May  17,  1886,  who  is  the  present  king,  the  royal  power 
being  exercised  by  the  Queen  Regent,  his  mother,  during  his  minority. 

88.  Queen  Christine  and  the  infant  King  of  Spain. 

The  present  King  of  Spain  (1893)  is  Alfonso  XIII,  the  posthumous  son 
of  Alfonso  XII,  who   died    in    November,   1885.      During    his   minority,. 


THE    COURT    OF    FERDINAND    AND    ISABELLA. 


23 


90. 


which  terminates  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  his  mother  exercises  the  royal 
power,  as  Queen-Regent.  Maria  Christina,  an  Archduchess  of  Austria, 
daughter  of  the  late  archduke,  Carl  Ferdinand,  was  proclaimed  Regent 
during  the  minority  of  her  son,  by  a  vote  of  the  Spanish  Cortes,  and  the 
Spanish  people  have  always  been  loyal  to  her  and  the  infant  king,  to 
whom  they  are  deeply  devoted.  The  Queen-Regent  was  born  July  21, 
1858,  and  married  to  King  Alfonso  XII,  November  29,  1879. 
89.     Coat-of-arms  of  Spain. 

In  the  Coat-of-arms  of  Spain  the  shield  is  divided  into  four  quarters, 
the  first  and  fourth  with  red  ground,  bearing  a  castle  in  silver  with  em- 
battled towers  with  open  windows  in  blue;  the  second'  and  third,  silver 
ground,  each  having  a  lion  in  red,  the  whole  surmounted  by  a  gold  crown, 
the  lower  point  of  silver,  having  a  pomegranate  in  red  with  green  leaves. 
General  view  of  the  city  of  Santa  Fe 

Built  on  the  site  of  the 
camp  occupied  by  Ferdinand 
and  Isabella  during  the  siege 
of  Granada. 

Columbus  entered 
into  a  formal  con- 
tract with  the  Crown 

of      Spain,    r 

The  docu-  [' 
merit  was  \t  tyj 
signed  be- 
neath the 
walls  of  Gra- 
nada in  the 
newly  risen 
city  of  Santa 
Fe.  In  Jan- 
uary,    1492,  View  of  the  Alhambra. 

Boabdil,  the  last  monarch  of  the  Moors,  surrendered  the  keys  of  the 
Alhambra.  For  eight  hundred  years  the  hated  Moor  had  ruled  the  land, 
but  Christianity  had  finally  triumphed  over  Islamism,  and  the  last 
European  Moslem  was  a  fugitive.  Four  months  later,  on  the  17th 
of  April,  the  same  hands  that  had  received  the  token  of  their  triumph 
affixed  the  royal  sign  manual  to  a  paper  confirming^  to  Christopher 
Columbus  rights  and  titles  in  a  yet  undiscovered  country  beyond 
an  unknown  sea.*  In  this  the  dignities  and  prerogatives  of  viceroy 
and    governor    were   made   hereditary   in   his    family,    and   he   and  his 


*  The  original  of  the  contract  is  on  exhibition  in  the  chapel,  No.  901. 


24 


THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 


heirs  were  entitled  to  prefix  the  title  of  "Don"  to  their  names,  a  dis- 
tinction accorded  in  those  days  only  to  people  of  rank  and  state, 
although  it  has  since  lost  its  significance  because  of  its  universal  use. 

91.  Sala  de  la  Justicia,  Hall  of  the  Justice,  in  the  Alhambra,  Spain. 

Bounding  one  side  of  the  Lion  Court  of  the  Alhambra  is  the  Sala  del 
Tribunal,  or  Hall  of  Justice,  a  gallery  some  seventy-five  feet  long  and 
sixteen  wide,  divided  into  alcoves  formerly  occupied  by  divans  and  with 
the  stucco  work  profusely  yet  delicately  colored.  Here  the  swart  Moors 
reclined  during  the  noonday  hours;  here  the  Caliphs  held  their 
audiences,  and  here  Isabella  received  Columbus,  after  the  surrender  of 
Granada. 

92.  Mirador  de  la  Reina. 


One  of  the  most  picturesque  towers 

of  the  Alhambra  is  that  known  as  the 

Mirador  (or  lookout)  of   the  Queen> 

View  from  the  Alhambra.  projecting  from  the  castle  walls  above 

the  River  Darro.     The  view  from  here  is  superb,  taking  in  the  Moorish 

quarter  of  Granada,  known  as  the  Albaicin,  and  the  Gipsy  Caves,  etc. 

93.  Monument  to  Queen  Isabella,  Madrid. 

94.  Moorish  watch-tower  overlooking  the  Bridge  of  Pines. 

95.  Colored  views  of  horsemen  of  the  tims  of  Columbus. 

96.  Don  Pedro  Enriquez. 

97.  Three  Spanish  knights  in  armor  at  prayer. 

98.  King  Ferdinand  the  Catholic  at  prayer . 

99.  Queen  Isabella  at  prayer. 

100.  Group  of  kings  and  queens  at  prayer. 

101.  Don  Juan  of  Austria,  son  of  Charles  V. 

102.  Prince  Carlos,  son  of  Phillip  II. 

103.  Donna  Maria  of  Portugal. 

104.  Statue  of  Isabella  at  Malaga. 

105.  Statue  of  Ferdinand  the  Catholic  at  Malaga,  Spain. 

106.  Isabella  as  a  queen.     By  Mme.  Thenon  Nargeot. 


THE    BIRTH    AND    EARLY    LIFE    OF    COLUMBUS. 


25 


SECTION    C.      THE    BIRTH,    BOYHOOD    AND    EARLY    LIFE   OF 

COLUMBUS. 


no.    View  of  the  harbor  and  city  of  Genoa. 


The  city  and  harbor  of  Genoa. 
in.  Genoese  wool-comber. 

The  father  of  Columbus  followed  the  very  respectable  trade  of  wool- 
comber,  and  acquired  a  little  property  through  his  wife  Susanna.  It  is 
shown  by  the  records  that  he  was  at  one  time  the  proprietor  of  a  house  of 
public  entertainment,  but  the  two  occupations  do  not  seem  to  have  kept  him 
out  of  debt,  for  he  owed  money  to  his  neighbors,  gave  mortgages  on  his 
property,  and  his  sons  assisted  him  to  pay  the  interest.  There  is  evidence, 
too,  that  during  the  winter  of  1499-1500  the  heirs  of  Corrado  de  Cuneo  got 
judgment  against  Christopher  and  his  brother  Diego  on  account  of  the 
failure  of  their  father  to  pay  for  certain  lands  in  the  town  of  Savona. 
ina.  View  of  the  harbor  of  Genoa. 

Although  the  birthplace  of  Columbus  may  be  in  doubt,  the  strongest 
probabilities  are  in  favor  of  Genoa.     His  pedigree  and  the  movements  of 


26 


THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 


his  family  have  been  traced  with  remarkable  patience  by  Henry  Harisse, 
who  found  in  the  archives  of  Genoa  records  of  real  estate  transfers  and 
other  business  transactions  by  the  father  of  Columbus,  about  the  date  of 
his  birth;  and  Columbus,  in  his  will,  says:  "  I  was  born  in  Genoa."  In  a 
subsequent  paragraph  of  the  same  document  he  writes:  "I  came  from 
there  and  there  was  I  born." 

112.    House   at  Quinto  where  the  father  and  mother  of  Columbus  lived  and 
were  married. 

The  grandfather 
of  Columbus  lived  at 
Terrarossa,  a  ham- 
let about  twenty 
miles  northeast  of 
Genoa,  and  there 
his  father  was  born. 
Some  time  between 
1430  and  1445  he 
moved  to  Quinto  al 
Mar,  a  little  place 
on  the  coast  four 
miles  east  of  Genoa. 
The  house  in  which 
he  dwelt  is  still 
standing  in  the  Via 
dei  Colombo,  No.  8, 
owned  by  Mr.  Giu- 
seppe Piaggio,  and 
occupied  by  several 
peasant  families. 
Here    Domenico,  the 


Old  house  at  Quinto. 
father  of  Christopher,  was  married  to  Susanna 
Fontanarossa,  who  came  from  Quezzi,  and  belonged  to  a  race  of  weavers. 
About  1446  he  moved  into  the  city  of  Genoa,  where  he  purchased  a  resi- 
dence, and  in  that  year  qualified  as  a  citizen.  In  1471  Domenico  Colum- 
bus went  to  Savona,  where  his  wife  died.  About  1484  he  returned  to 
Genoa  to  reside  with  his  daughter  until  his  death,  at  an  advanced  age,  in 
1499  or  1500.  He  lived  to  see  the  triumph  and  enjoy  the  fame  of  his  son, 
and  it  is  believed  that  Christopher  visited  him  after  the  first  voyage. 
There  is,  in  the  Municipal  Archives  at  Savona,  a  document  witnessed  by 
Columbus  in  1472.  On  August  26,  1472,  he  endorsed  a  note  for  his 
father,  and  on  August  7,  1473,  signed  a  deed  relinquishing  all  claims  to 
the  house  in  Genoa. 


THE    BIRTH    AND    EARLY    LIFE    OF    COLUMBUS. 


27 


113.    Street  in  Genoa  in  which  Columbus  is  said 
to  have  been  born. 

The  learned  antiquarian,  Marcel- 
lo  Staglieno,  of  Genoa,  identified 
the  Vico  dritto  del  Ponticello, 
No.  37,  as  the  house  in  which  Do- 
menico  Columbus  lived  during  the 
younger  years  of  Christopher's  life; 
and  it  is  probable,  although  not  cer 


«**  4-.W1         >&>% 


f  i:    - 


114. 


House  in  Genoa  in  which  Columbus  i& 
said  to  have  been  born, 
tain,  that  the  latter  was  born  there.     The  discovery  of  the  ownership  was 
made    by  tracing  back  the  title  to  the   property.      Through  the  efforts 
of  Cavaliere  Giuseppe  Bald,  §6,300  was  raised  in  June,  1887,  the  property 
was  purchased  and  a  tablet  was  placed  over  the  door,  with  the   Latin 


28 


THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 


"5- 
117. 


inscription,   which,   in    English,  reads:     "No  house  better   deserves  an 
inscription.     This  is  the  paternal  home  of  Christopher  Columbus,  where 
he  passed  his  childhood  and  youth."     The  house  was,  at  that  time,  just 
outside  of  the  city  walls  of  Genoa,  by  the  gate  of  St.  Andrew. 
Plan  of  the  Columbus  house  at  Genoa.     (Several  parts.) 
Room  in  which  Columbus  is  alleged  to  have  been  born. 


120.  General  view  of  Cogoleto,  Italy. 

Some  writers  argue  that  the  republic  instead  of  the  city  of  Genoa  was 
meant  by  Columbus  when  he  said  that  he  was  born  there,  which  will 
admit  to  the  controversy  the  claims  of  several  suburban  towns  in  which 
his  family  at  one  time  resided.  In  the  little  village  of  Cogoleto,  about 
fifteen  miles  from  Genoa,  an  ancient  structure  is  pointed  out  as  the  birth- 
place of  Columbus  and  bears  the  following  pretentious  inscription: 
"Traveler,  stop  at  this  place.  It  was  here  that  Columbus,  the  greatest 
man  in  the  world,  first  saw  the  light;  here  in  this  humble  house!  There 
was  one  world:  this  man  spoke,  and  there  were  two." 

118.  Beach  at  Cogoleto,  which  claims  to  have  been  the  birthplace  of  Columbus. 


119.  Views  of  the  University  of  Pavia. 

It  is  generally  believed,  although  often  denied,  that  Columbus  spent 
some  time  during  his  boyhood  at  the  University  of  Pavia,  where  he  learned 
Latin,  the  principles  of  geography,  and  some  knowledge  of  astronomy. 
The  doctors  of  this  university,  which  is  still  in  existence,  have  erected  a 
monument  to  commemorate  the  glory  of  its  famous  pupil,  and  when  his 
remains  were  discovered  at  Santo  Domingo,  the  archbishop  of  that  repub- 


THE  BIRTH  AND  EARLY  LIFE  OF  COLUMBUS. 


29 


lie   consecrated   his   memory  by   sending  a  pinch   of  the   illustrious  dust 
there,  as  he  did  to  Genoa. 


121.  Street  in  Cogoleto,  Italy,  in  which  it  is  claimed  Columbus  was  born. 

122.  House  at  Cogoleto  in  which  it  is  said  Columbus  was  born. 

123.  Views  of  Pavia. 

Pavia  is  a  city  of  Italy,  about  seventy  miles  north  of  Genoa.  It  was  once 
known  as  the  "  City  of  One  Hundred  Towers,"  nearly  all  of  which  have 
fallen  to  ruin.  In  the  time  of  Columbus  the  city  was  surrounded  by 
ramparts,  three  and  a  half  miles  long,  portions  of  which  still  exist.  The 
first  stone  of  the  cathedral  of  San  Stevano  was  laid  at  about  the  time  that 
Columbus  finished  his  studies  at  the  university.  This  university  was 
founded  by  Charlemagne,  in  the  year  774,  and  was  famous  in  the  days  of 
Columbus  for  the  facilities  it  offered  for  obtaining  scientific  knowledge. 

124.  Church  at  Lisbon  in  which  Columbus  was  married. 

Columbus  was  married  at  Lisbon  about  1473  or  1474,  to  Felipa  Moniz 
Perestrello,  the  daughter  of  an  Italian  gentleman  of  good  connections 
and  fame  as  a  navigator,  who  was  identified  with  the  colonization  of  the 
Madeira  Islands,  and  was  appointed  governor  of  them  by  Prince  Henry 
of  Portugal.  Christopher  went  to  Lisbon  in  1473,  at  the  suggestion  of  his 
brother  Bartholomew,  who  was  already  established   there,  because  the 


30  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

Court  of  Portugal  offered  the  greatest  inducements  to  skilled  navigators 
to  join  its  fleets  and  participate  in  the  enterprises  which  Prince  Henry 
had  inaugurated.  It  is  probable  that  he  assisted  Bartholomew  in  the  map 
business  until  they  both  secured  employment  in  the  navy.  We  know 
that  Bartholomew  was  with  the  expedition  that  discovered  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope,  and  we  have  Christopher's  own  testimony  that  he  made  a 
voyage  down  the  African  coast. 

125.  Views  of  Porto  Santo,  Madeira  Islands. 

There  is  a  romantic  story  in  the  life  of  Columbus,  by  Las  Casas,  of  his 
accidental  encounter  with  Felipa  at  mass  in  the  chapel  of  the  Convent  of 
All  faints  at  Lisbon  and  their  love  at  first  sight.  Whether  this  be  true  or 
not  it  is  evident  that  their  courtship  was  brief,  and  that  immediately  after 
their  marriage  they  went  to  Porto  Santo,  Madeira,  where  the  father  of 
Senora  Columbus  left  a  small  estate.  Here,  while  studying  some  maps 
and  books  that  belonged  to  his  father-in-law,  it  is  supposed  that  Colum- 
bus first  conceived  the  idea  of  seeking  a  passage  to  the  Indies  by 
sailing  westward  across  the  "  Sea  of  Darkness,"  as  the  Atlantic  was  then 
called.  Here,  too,  it  is  supposed  his  son  Diego  was  born  in  1475.  Soon 
after  the  family  appear  to  have  returned  to  Lisbon,  where  we  find 
Columbus  submitting  his  theories  to  the  king  and  corresponding  with 
Toscanelli,  the  Florentine  geographer,  on  the  same  subject. 

126.  Entrance   to  the  house  in  which   Columbus  lived  at  Funchal,  Madeira 

Islands. 

Columbus  went  to  the  Madeira  Islands  in  1474,  and  lived  in  Funchal. 
Pina  Louveiro,  the  historian  of  those  islands,  insists  that  he  was  married 
at  Machico  in  1475,  instead  of  at  Lisbon;  that  Diego  was  born  in  1476,  and 
that  Felipa,  his  wife,  died  soon  after  and  was  buried  in  the  cathedral  at 
Funchal.  There  is  an  autograph  letter  of  Columbus  in  the  possession  of 
the  Duke  de  Veragua,  his  descendant,  at  Madrid,  in  which  he  says  that 
when  he  departed  from  Portugal,  which  was  probably  in  1484,  he  left  his 
wife  and  children — he  writes  in  the  plural — and  never  saw  them  again. 
That  he  took  his  little  son  to  Spain  with  him  we  know,  and  when  he 
stopped  at  the  Monastery  of  La  Rabida,  near  Palos,  he  was  on  his  way  to 
Huelva  where  his  wife  had  a  sister  named  Muliar.with  whom  he  intended 
to  leave  Diego  while  he  visited  the  court  of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella. 
But  he  never  refers  to  his  wife  and  children  again,  and  the  theory  of  the 
best  authorities  is  that  she,  and  any  other  children  there  may  have  been, 
must  have  died  shortly  after  his  departure. 

127.  House  occupied  by  Columbus  at  Porto  Santo,  Madeira  Islands. 

The  house  occupied  by  Columbus  while  he  lived  at  Porto  Santo, 
Madeira  Islands,   is  supposed  to  have  been  built  by  his  father-in-law, 


THE  BIRTH  AND  EARLY  LIFE  OF  COLUMBUS. 


31 


129. 


Bartholomew  Perestrello,  and  a  portion  of  it  is  still  standing  and  in  fairly- 
good  condition,  being  occupied  by  the  vicar  of  the  village  church.  The 
house  was  inhabited  by  the  descendants  of  Perestrello  until  twenty  years 
ago. 

128.  Church   at  Porto   Santo,    Madeira    Islands,   where    Columbus   used   to 
reside. 

The  little  chapel  in  the  village  of  Porto  Santo  from  all  appearances  is 
likely  to  stand  for  a  thousand  years  to  come.  It  is  said  to  have  been  built 
by  the  father-in-law  of  Columbus,  who  is  buried  under  the  pavement. 

Front  door  of  the  house  occupied  by  Columbus  at  Funchal,  Madeira 

Islands. 

This  house,  which  was 
situated  on  Rua  de  Chris- 
tavao  Columbo,  was  built  in 
1457,  but  having  fallen  into 
ruins  was  removed  in  1857. 
Before  its  removal  these 
photographs  were  taken. 
Three  of  the  window  shutters 

from   the   house   occupied 

by     Columbus     at     Porto 

Santo,  Madeira  Islands. 
Block    of    barbosano  wood 

from    the   house  occupied 

by     Columbus     at     Porto 

Santo,    Madeira    Islands. 

Supposed    to    have    been 

erected    by  Bartholomew 

Perestrello  in  1471. 

This  block  of  wood  was 
taken  from  the  doorstep 
upon  which  the  large  doors 
hung. 


House  occupied  by  Columbus  at  Funchal. 

132.     Inside  doors  of  the  house  occupied  by  Columbus  and  his  wife  Felipa  at 
Porto  Santo. 

It  is  believed  Columbus  left  Lisbon  to  escape  arrest  for  debt.  His 
own  statement  shows  that  he  was  indignant  at  the  action  of  the  king  in 
secretly  sending  an  expedition  into  the  western  sea  to  ascertain  the 


130. 


131. 


32  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

truth  of  his  theories;  but  there  is  a  record  of  his  application  to  Prince 
John  II  of  Portugal  for  a  passport  to  visit  Lisbon  to  see  his  brother 
Bartholomew,  who  had  just  returned  from  the  expedition  to  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope.  This  document,  which  was  issued  on  the  20th  of  March, 
1488,  guarantees  him  against  arrest  or  detention  on  any  criminal  or  civil 
charge  during  his  stay  in  Portugal,  and  commands  all  magistrates 
to  respect  it.  On  meeting  Bartholomew  he  sent  him  to  London  to  lay 
his  plans  for  a  western  voyage  before  King  Henry  VII  of  England. 

133.  Table  made  of  wood  taken  from  the  house  occupied  by  Columbus  at 

Funchal,  Madeira  Islands. 

Loaned  by  Dr.  Jose  Leite  Monteiro. 

The  house  from  which  the  timber  was  taken  to  make  this  table  was 
built  in  1457  and  was  the  property  of  John  Esmeraldo,  a  wealthy  Genoese 
who  went  to  Funchal  in  1480.  Esmeraldo  built  several  fine  mansions  at 
Funchal  on  the  street  which  bears  his  name.  He  died  June  19, 1536,  and 
was  buried  in  the  church  which  he  had  erected  in  1494.  The  house  fell 
into  ruin  with  time,  and  in  1877-what  was  left  of  it  was  removed.  Dr. 
Jose  Leite  Monteiro  purchased  all  the  wood  in  the  building,  and  among 
other  things  had  this  table  made. 

134.  Cane  made  from  wood  taken  from  the  house  occupied  by  Christopher 

Columbus  at  Porto  Santo,  Madeira  Islands. 

Presented  to  Mr.  Blaine  by  John  F.  Healy,  U.  S.  Consul  at  Funchal, 
Madeira. 

135.  Cane  made  from  wood  taken  from  the  house  occupied  by  Christopher 

Columbus  at  Porto  Santo,  Madeira  Islands. 

Presented  to  William  E.  Curtis  by  John  F.  Healy,  LT.  S.  Consul  at 
Funchal,  Madeira. 

136.  Relics  from  the  house  occupied  by  Columbus  while  he  lived  at  Porto 

Santo,  Madeira  Islands. 

Supposed  to  have  been  erected  as  his  family  home  by  Bartholomew 
Perestrello,  the  father-in-law  of  Columbus.  Secured  for  the  World's 
Columbian  Exposition  by  John  F.  Healy,  U.  S.  Consul  at  Funchal,. 
Madeira. 

137.  View  of  the  city  of  Lisbon  when  Columbus  lived. 


THE    CAREER    OF    COLUMBUS    IN    SPAIN.  33 


SECTION  D.     THE  CAREER  OF  COLUMBUS  IN  SPAIN. 


140.  View  of  Huelva,  Spain. 

A  few  miles  north  of  Cadiz,  on  the  Atlantic  coast  of  Spain,  about  half 
way  between  the  straits  of  Gibraltar  and  the  boundary  of  Portugal,  near 
the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Tinto,  are  the  famous  mines  of  Huelva  which,  tra- 
dition tells  us,  furnished  the  copper  used  in  the  construction  of  Solo- 
mon's Temple,  and  which,  indeed,  are  claimed  to  have  been  worked 
before  the  flood.  That  they  were  operated  by  the  Phoenicians  long  before 
the  Christian  era,  and  afterward  by  the  Romans,  there  is  little  doubt,  as 
remains  of  both  races  have  been  discovered  in  that  locality;  and  the  his- 
tory of  the  mines  is  as  old  as  human  knowledge  of  Spain.  They  are 
now  owned  and  operated  by  an  English  corporation. 

Near  the  town  of  Huelva,  toward  the  end  of  the  fifteenth  century,  dwelt 
the  sister  of  the  wife  of  Christopher  Columbus,  one  Senora  Muliar,  the 
daughter  of  Senor  Bartholomew  Perestrello  of  Lisbon,  of  whom  we 
know  nothing  but  her  name. 

141.  View  of  the  monastery  of  La  Rabida. 

On  the  summit  of  a  low  headland,  between  the  Tinto  and  Odiel  rivers, 
which  meet  at  its  base,  a  few  miles  from  the  sea,  stands  a  picturesque 
and  solitary  monastery,  erected  in  the  second  century  after  Christ.  The 
Moors  called  it  La  Rabida,  which  signifies  an  out-post  on  the  frontier. 
When  the  Moslems  were  driven  from  Andalusia  it  passed  into  the 
possession  of  the  Franciscan  order,  who  remodeled  it  and  called  it 
Santa  Maria  de  la  Rabida. 

142.  Columbus  at  the  monastery  gate. 

Original  by  Leopold  Flameng. 

This  is  a  favorite  subject  with  artists  and  has  often  been  depicted — the 
future  discoverer  of  a  world,  like  an  ordinary  beggar,  asking  for  bread 
and  water  for  his  son  at  the  gate  of  the  convent  of  La  Rabida.  There 
are  two  spots  that  should  ever  be  associated  with  the  fortunes  of  Colum- 
bus and  should  be  regarded  as  the  turning  points  of  his  career — the 
convent-portal  of  La  Rabida  and  the  Bridge  of  Pines  on  the  plain  of 
Granada.  At  the  one  he  was  encouraged  to  hope  for  the  Queen's  favor, 
and  at  the  other  he  was  turned  back  to  learn  of  her  decision  to  undertake 
the  voyage  to  the  New  World. 

143.  Title  of  Columbus  sketches  by  H.  F.  Pluddemann. 


34 


THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 


144.     Columbus  at  La  Rabida. 

By  H.  F.  Pluddemann.     Loaned  by  Mrs.  Pluddemann,  Weisserhirsch, 
Germany. 


Monastery  of  La  Rabida  as  it  appeared  in  1890  before  its  restoration  to  its 
condition  at  the  time  of  Columbus. 

145.  Columbus  at  the  monastery  of  La  Rabida. 

By  Eugene  Delacroix. 

It  is  not  certain  when  Columbus  first  appeared  at  La  Rabida.  Some 
authorities  assert  that  he  came  there  from  Portugal  in  1484,  on  his  way 
to  Huelva,  where  he  intended  to  leave  little  Diego,  then  nine  years  old, 
with  his  wife's  relatives,  and  obtain  from  them  means  to  pay  his  way  to 
the  court  of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella,  to  submit  his  plans  for  a  voyage 
across  the  western  ocean.  Others  insist  that  he  did  not  visit  Palos  and 
La  Rabida  until  two  years  later.  A  careful  investigation  of  the  evidence 
shows  that  it  is  quite  possible  that  he  may  have  stopped  at  the  monas- 
tery immediately  upon  his  arrival  in  Spain,  left  his  child  at  Moguer, 
secured  money  to  pay  the  expense  of  his  journey,  and  two  years  later, 
after  the  rejection  of  his  proposal,  returned  to  take  Diego  with  him  as  he 
was  leaving  the  country,  disheartened  at  the  indifference  and  procrasti- 
nation of  the  court. 

146.  Columbus  asking  bread  at  the  monastery  of  La  Rabida. 

Original  in  the  monastery  of  La  Rabida. 

152.     Columbus  and  the  monk  Marchena. 

There  has  been  a  great  deal  of  confusion  in  the  minds  of  most  of  the 
biographers  of  Columbus  and  other  writers  of  history,  because  there 
were  two  monks  by  the  name  of  Marchena  who  gave  aid  and  comfort  to 
the  Admiral.  One  was  Juan  Perez  de  Marchena,  who  was  formerly 
confessor  to  Queen  Isabella,  and  afterward  prior  of  the  monastery  of 
La  Rabida.     The   other   was  Father  Antonio   de   Marchena,  a  learned 


THE    CAREER    OF    COLUMBUS    IN    SPAIN. 


35 


Memorial  Cross. 


astronomer  and  geographer,  who  was  a  member  of  the  Council  of  Monks 
at   Salamanca,   and  endorsed  the  theories  of  Columbus  as  to  a  western 
passage  to  the  Indies.     He  was  appointed  astronomer  to  the  expedition 
that  went  out  under  Columbus  in  1493,  but  for  some  reason  did  not  go. 
147.     Cross  erected  on  the  spot  where  Columbus  asked 

the  prior  of  La  Rabida  for  bread  and  water. 

An  iron  cross,  set  in  a  foundation  of  stone  and 
mortar,  marks  the  spot  where,  it  is  said,  Columbus 
had  his  first  interview  with  the  prior  of  the  con- 
vent. It  is  near  the  main  portal,  and  from  this 
spot  is  a  most  magnificent  view  of  the  headland, 
the  convent,  and  the  bay,  beyond  which  is  the  town 
of  Huelva,  the  center  of  the  copper  mining  region 
and  its  shipping  port,  its  white  sails  shining  in  the 
sun. 

148!     Chart  showing  location   of  Palos  and   the   mon- 
astery. 

149.  Columbus  explaining  his  theories  at  La  Rabida. 

Original  in  the  convent  at  La  Rabida. 

150.  Juan  Perez  de  Marchena,  prior  of  the  monastery  of  La  Rabida. 

(In  the  chapel.) 

When  Columbus  stopped  at  La  Rabida  for  food, 
Juan  Perez  de  Marchena,  the  prior,  entered  into  con- 
versation with  him.  Observing  from  his  appearance 
and  language  that  Columbus  was  a  man  of  learning, 
he  invited  him  and  his  son  Diego  into  the  convent, 
where  they  were  given  refreshment,  and  asked  to 
remain  until  they  had  recovered  from  the  fatigue  of 
their  journey.  In  the  meantime  the  friar  had  drawn 
from  Columbus  something  of  his  plans,  and  being 
learned  in  the  science  of  geography,  took  a  great 
interest  in  the  strange  theories  and  remarkable  char- 
acter of  his  guest.  Father  Perez  had  formerly  been 
confessor  to  Queen  Isabell*,  but  weary  of  the  frivoli- 
ties of  the  court  had  retired  to  La  Rabida,  to  enjoy 
peace  and  quiet  and  to  pursue  his  studies. 

151.  Columbus  explaining  his  theories  at  the  monastery  of  La  Rabida. 

By  Sir  David  Wilkie. 

There  lived  at  Palos  a  learned  physician  by  the  name  of  Fernandez 
Garcia,  who  was  also  a  student  of  cosmography.  He  and  the  famous 
navigator,    Martin  Alonzo  Pinzon,  were  summoned  to  the  monastery  by 


Father  Perez. 


36 


THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 


Father  Perez  to  hear  the  theories  and  plans  of  Columbus.  The  confer- 
ences at  the  old  convent  have  been  a  favorite  subject  for  artists  for 
three  hundred  years.  (The  conferences  took  place  in  the  room  where 
the  portraits  are  exhibited,  in  the  northwest  corner  of  the  building.) 


153- 


154. 


155. 


156. 


157. 


Columbus     explaining 

theories  to  the  prior. 
Interior  of  the  chapel  at  La 

Rabida.  Altar  of  the  chapel. 

Cloisters  of  convent  of  La  Rabida,  Spain. 

In  the  center  of  the  convent  is  a  beautiful  patio,  around  which  are  the 
cloisters  formerly  occupied  by  the  good  old  monks,  empty  and  forsaken,, 
but  still  clean  and  neat.     A  narrow  corridor  runs  around  the  patio,  which 
is  filled  with  flowers  and  orange  trees. 
Columbus  at  the  monastery. 

By  E.  Cano.  • 

Room  occupied  by  Columbus  in  the  monastery  of  La  Rabida. 

Columbus  spent  several  impatient,  but  important  months  at  La  Rab- 
ida. At  the  suggestion  of  Pinzon,  who  furnished  him  money  to  pay  his 
expenses,  he  applied  for  men  and  vessels  to  several  petty  princes  along 
the  southern  coast  of  Spain.  They  owned  vast  estates,  with  fleets  and 
armies  of  retainers,  but  were  subject  to  the  Crown  of  Spain.  They  re- 
jected his  propositions,  with  the  exception  of  the  Duke   of  Medina-Celi„ 


THE    CAREER    OF    COLUMBUS    IN    SPAIN.  yj 

who  regarded  them  favorably  from  the  very  first,  and  would  have  fur- 
nished him  money  and  vessels,  but  for  fear  that  the  enterprise  might  not 
be  regarded  favorably  by  the  sovereigns. 
158.     Views  of  Cordova. 

Ferdinand  and  Isabella  were  at  Cordova  when  Columbus  arrived,  and 
thither  he  went.  His  arrival  was  at  an  unpropitious  moment.  He  found 
the  city  in  all  the  bustle  of  military  preparation.  The  rival  kings  of 
Granada  had  formed  a  coalition,  and  their  league  called  for  prompt  and 
vigorous  measures.  All  the  chivalry  cf  Spain  had  been  summoned  to 
the- field.  The  streets  of  Cordova  echoed  to  the  tramp  of  steed  and 
sound  of  trumpet,  as  day  by  day  the  nobles  arrived  with  their  retainers, 
and  the  court  was  like  a  military  camp. 

159a.     Old  Roman  gate  of  Cordova,  and  the  house  in  which  Columbus  dwelt 

for  several  months. 

The  wall  that  was  built  around  the  city  of  Cordova  when  the  Romans 
occupied  it  still  stands,  and  the  old  gates,  which  were  protected  by  for- 
tified towers,  remain  as  they  were  seven  centuries  ago.  Just  inside  one 
of  these  portals,  which  is  known  as  the  Columbus  gate,  is  a  one-story 
adobe  house,  in  which  Columbus  is  said  to  have  lived  during  his  stay  in 
Cordova.  The  house  occupied  by  the  family  of  Beatriz  Enriquez,  which 
must  have  been  a  very  imposing  dwelling  in  that  day,  is  now  a  second- 
class  hotel,  and  stands  across  the  street  from  the  famous  Moorish 
mosque. 

159b.    View  of  Cordova,  Spain,  showing  the  Royal  Palace  Cathedral  and  old 
Roman  bridge. 

161.     Portrait  of  Pedro  Gonzalez  de  Mendoza,  Grand  Cardinal  of  Spain. 

During  the  winter  of  1486-87  Columbus  followed  the  Court  from  Cor- 
dova to  Salamanca,  where,  through  the  influence  of  a  zealous  friend,  he 
secured  an  audience  with  Pedro  Gonzalez  de  Mendoza,  the  Grand  Car- 
dinal of  Spain,  whose  influence  with  his  sovereigns  was  unsurpassed. 
The  Cardinal  determined  that  the  plans  of  Columbus  were  worthy  the 
attention  of  the  Crown,  and  in  the  spring  of  1487  obtained  for  him  admis- 
sion to  the  royal  presence.  Queen  Isabella  received  Columbus  with 
great  favor,  and  was  at  once  impressed  with  the  great  importance  and 
practicability  of  his  enterprise;  but  the  King  was  more  conservative  and 
suggested  that  the  proposition  be  investigated  by  experts.  Accordingly, 
Fernando  de  Talavera,  prior  of  the  monastery  of  Prado  and  confessor 
to  the  Queen,  was  commanded  to  assemble  the  most  learned  astrono- 
mers and  geographers  in  the  kingdom,  in  order  that  Columbus  might 
submit  his  plans  and  theories  to  them. 


38 


THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 


160.     Mosque  of  Cordova. 

Cordova  is  the  capi- 
tal  of    a    province   of 
the  same  name  in  An- 
dalusia,  on  the   River 
Guadalquivir,  seventy 
miles     from      Sevill 
The    most    interesting 
building  in  the  city  is 
the  cathedral,    origin- 
ally built  as  a  mosque 
by  Abderrahman  I, 
the  eighth  century.  Its 
interior  is  one  of   the 
finest     specimens     of 
Moorish    architecture. 
Passing      through      a 
grand  courtyard  about 
five    hundred    feet   in 
length,    shaded     with 
palm,     cypress      and 
orange  trees,  fresh  with 
the  flow  of   fountains, 
you    enter  a   magnifi- 
cent  and   bewilderin 
labyrinth     of     pillars. 
Porphyry,   jasper  and 
marbles    of    many     a 
tint    are   boldly   com- 
bined   in    a    matchless  Tower  of  St.  Nicholas,  Cordova, 
mosaic.    The  pillars  were  collected  from  various  parts  of  the  world,  being 
of  different  lengths  and  adjusted  to  their  present  position  by  being  sunk 
into  the  ground  or  raised  by  capitals,  as  was  necessary.    Twelve  hundred 
was  the  number  in  the  original   building,  but   there  are  only  one  thou- 
sand remaining.     Columbus  lingered  in  Cordova  during  the  summer  and 
autumn  of  1486,  doubtless   worshipping   in   this   magnificent   cathedral 
and  making  some  friends  who  afterward  were  of  great  service  to  him 
In  the  winter  he  followed  the  Court  to  Salamanca. 

162.     Portrait  of  Fernando  de  Talavera. 

165.     Columbus  before  the  Dominicans  at  Salamanca. 

By  H.  F.  Pluddemann.     Loaned  by  Professor  Ehrhardt,  Wolfenbuttel, 
Germany. 


THE    CAREER    OF    COLUMBUS    IN    SPAIN. 


39 


163.     General  view   of  the   city    of  Salamanca,   where  Columbus  appeared 
before  the  council  of  monks. 


164. 
166. 

167. 
168. 
169. 
170. 
171. 
172. 

173. 


174. 


Panorama  of  Salamanca. 

Columbus  before  the  ecclesiastical  council  at  Salamanca, 

Original  by  Roting,  in  the  Royal  Gallery  at  Dresden. 

Columbus  before  the  council  of  Salamanca. 

Original  by  the  Peruvian  painter,  Murino,  in  National  Library  at  Lima. 
Columbus  before  the  council  of  monks. 

Loaned  by  T.  Kaufmann,  New  York  city.    (In  the  chapel.    For  sale.) 
Columbus  before  the  Dominicans. 

Original  by  V.  Izquierdo. 
Columbus  before  the  Dominicans. 

Original  by  F.  Maso. 
Columbus  before  the  council  of  Salamanca. 

Original  by  Leopold  Flameng. 
Columbus  before  the  junta. 

Original  by  Leopold  Flameng. 

Portrait  of  Father  Diego  de  Deza. 

By  Liugo  Gregori.  Original  in  University  of  Notre  Dame,  South 
Bend,  Ind. 

On  the  monument  to  Deza  in  the  cathedral  at  Seville  he  is  described 
as  a  generous  and  faithful  patron  of  Columbus. 

Present  appearance  of  house  at  Salamanca  in  which  Columbus  lived. 

At  Valcuebo,  a  country  farm  once  belonging  to  the  Dominicans  of 
Salamanca,  Columbus  was  entertained  by  Diego  de  Deza,  prior  of  the 
great    Dominican   convent  of  San  Estaban  and  professor  of  theology  at 


40 


THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 


175. 


176. 


Salamanca,  while  the  junta  (committee)  of  Spanish  ecclesiastics  consid- 
ered his  propositions.  His  residence  there  was  a  peaceful  oasis  in  the 
stormy  life  of  the  great  discoverer.  The  little  grange  still  stands  at  a 
distance  of  about  three  miles  west  of  Salamanca,  and  the  country  people 
have  a  tradition  that  on  the  crest  of  a  small  hill  near  the  house,  now 
called  "Teso  de  Colon"  (Columbus  Peak),  the  future  discoverer  used  to 
pass  long  hours  conferring  with  his  visitors  or  reading  in  solitude.  The 
present  owner,  Don  Martin  de  Solis,  has  erected  a  monument  on  this 
hill,  consisting  of  a  stone  pyramid  surmounted  by  a  globe.  It  commem- 
orates the  spot  where  the  storm-tossed  hero  enjoyed  a  brief  interval  of 
peace  and  rest. 

The  room,  "De  Profundis,"    Convent  of  Salamanca,   in  which  Columbus 
appeared  before  the  council  of  monks. 

The  conference   met   in   the   Dominican  convent  of  San  Esteban  at 
Salamanca  in  a  room  on  the  south  side  of  the  building  called  "De  Pro- 
fundis."    It  was  composed  of  the  monks  of  San  Esteban  and  the  faculty 
of  the  University  of  Salamanca. 
Cathedral  at  Salamanca. 

The  old  cathedral  of  Salamanca  is  a  cruci- 
form structure  of 
the  twelfth  century, 
of  the  late  Roman- 
esque style,  with 
original    treatment 


Cathedral  at  Salamanca, 
in  the  construction  of  the  dome.     Adjoining  the  old  cathedral  stands  the 
"new"  one,  begun  in  1513,  and  not  finished  until  1734,  a  fine  example  of 


THE    CAREER    OF    COLUMBUS    IN    SPAIN. 


41 


the  later  Gothic  of  Spain,  and  very  rich  in  treasures,  notably  a  bronze 
crucifix,  which  was  borne  in  battle  before  the  Cid. 

177.  Columbus  before  the  monks. 

Original  by  Barabino.     Owned  by  Count  Orsini  in  Genoa,  Italy. 

The  doctors  of  the  University  of  Salamanca  pronounced  the  theories 
of  Columbus  vain  and  visionary  and  contrary  to  the  teachings  of  the 
Scriptures,  wondering  that  any  one  could  be  so  foolish  as  to  believe  that 
the  earth  was  round;  that  people  walked  on  the  other  side  with  their 
heads  downward;  that  there  was  a  part  of  the  world  where  the  trees  and 
plants  grew  down  instead  of  up.       *     . 

178.  Views  of  the  Church  of  Santo  Domingo  at  Salamanca,  Spain. 

179.  Christopher  Columbus  at  the  Court  of  Isabella. 

Original  by  Brozik  Vacslav,  in  the  Metropolitan  Museum,  New  York  city. 

After  the  council  at  Salamanca,  Talavera  was  ordered  to  inform  Colum- 
bus that  the  expenses  of  the  war  with  the  Moors  forbade  the  undertak- 
ing of  new  enterprises.  Columbus  thereupon  returned  to  La  Rabida, 
intending  to  leave  the  country  for  France.  Then  Father  Perez,  presum- 
ing upon  his  former  relations  with  Queen  Isabella,  wrote  her  a  letter 
begging  that  so  noble  an  enterprise  might  not  be  abandoned,  and  so 
great  an  opportunity  to  advance  the  interests  of  Christianity  lost  to 
Spain.  So  powerful  was  his  persuasion  that  Columbus  was  sent  for  and 
funds  furnished  him  from  the  treasury  to  enable  him  to  appear  in  proper 
garb  and  pay  the  expenses  of  his  journey.  The  sum  furnished  was 
equal  to  about  $216  of  our  present  currency. 

180.  The  recall  of  Columbus  by  Isabella. 

By  H.  F  Pluddemann.  Loaned  by  Mrs.  Pluddemann,  Dresden, 
Germany. 

181.  Recall  of  Columbus. 

Original  by  Augustus  G. 
Heaton,  from  the  Capitol  at 
Washington.  Loaned  by  vote  of 
the  Congress  of  the  United 
States.     (In  the  chapel.) 

182.  Columbus  received  by  Isabella 

after  being  overtaken  at  the 

Bridge  of  Pines. 

By  Jover.  The  recall. 

When  Columbus  learned  of  the  decision  to  reject  his  plans  he 
started  for  Palos,  intending  to  take  his  child  and  go  to  France,  where 
he  hoped  to  receive  encouragement  from  the  King.    After  his  departure, 


42 


THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 


Queen  Isabella,  urged  by  Santangel  and  others,  reconsidered  the  deci- 
sion and  sent  a  messenger  after  Columbus. 
183.     Bridge  of  Pines,  Spain. 

After  the  recall  of  Columbus,  persons  of  importance  were  appointed 
to  negotiate  with  him,  chief  of  whom  was  Ferdinand  de  Talavera,  who 
had  just  been  appointed  Bishop  of  Granada;  but  the  terms  of  the  proud 
sailor  were  pronounced  unreasonable.  He  claimed  the  titles  and  privi- 
leges of  viceroyalty  and  the  sovereignty,  under  the  Crown  of  Spain,  of 
all  the  lands  he  should  discover,  with  one-tenth  of  all  they  should  pro- 
duce; and  his  demands  were  promptly  rejected. 


184. 


185. 


Bridge  of  Pines  as  it  appears  to-day. 

Not  far  from  the  city  of  Granada  but  nearer  to  Santa  Fe,  stands  a 
fine  bridge  spanning  a  stream  of  some  volume.  It  is  massively  built, 
with  turrets  and  abutments,  and  is  known  as  the  Bridge  of  Pines.  Here 
Columbus  was  overtaken,  and  it  may  be  looked  upon  as  the  point  at 
which  his  fortunes  began.  He  returned  to  Santa  Fe  and  there  signed 
the  "Capitulation  "  that  gave  him  the  means  to  discover  the  New  World. 
Columbus  presenting  his  plans  to  Ferdinand  and  Isabella. 

By  Vacslav  Brozik,  1887.     Loaned  by  P.  C.  Hanford,  Chicago.     (In  the 
chapel.)  f 

Isabella  offering  her  jewels. 

Original  in  the  Senate  Chamber,  Madrid.    By  Munoz  y  Degrain. 

King  Ferdinand  objected  to  the  expense  required  to  fit  out  a  fleet  for 
Columbus,  because  the  treasury  had  been  exhausted  by   the  war  with 


THE    CAREER    OF    COLUMBUS    IN    SPAIN. 


43 


the  Moors.  With  a  woman's  enthusiasm,  Isabella  exclaimed:  "I  will 
undertake  the  enterprise  for  my  own  Crown  of  Castile,  and  will  pledge 
my  jewels  to  raise  the  necessary  funds!" 

186.     Portrait  of  Luis  de  Santangel. 

But  Luis  de  Santangel,  receiver  of  the  ecclesi- 
astical revenues  of  the  kingdom  of  Aragon, 
agreed  to  loan  the  funds  from  the  revenues  in  his 
possession.  He  was  always  friendly  to  Columbus, 
and  one  of  his  most  influential  advocates  at  Court. 
It  was  to  him  that  Columbus  wrote  the  first  account 
of  the  discovery. 

The  amount  of  money  furnished  to  pay  the 
expense  of  the  voyage  has  been  the  subject  of  con- 
troversy, owing  to  the  difficulty  of  determining  the 
value  of  the  marevedi,  the  coin  of  those  days,  as 
compared  with  modern  currency.  The  smallest 
estimate  is  $3,000  and  the  highest  $7,000. 

Santangel. 


Isabella  offering  her  jewels. 
188.     View  of  Palos,  Spain. 

Palos  was  once  a  flourishing  city,  but  is  now  deserted  by  all  but  a  few 
fishermen  and  farmers.  A  bar  has  formed  at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  and 
the  water  is  so  low  that  where  the  fleets  used  to  float,  sea  grass  is  now 
growing.     At  this  port  was  organized  and    equipped  the  expedition  that 


44 


THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 


discovered  the  New  World,  and  from  its  docks  on  the  3d  of  August, 
1492,  Columbus  set  sail.  In  May,  1528,  Cortez  landed  at  Palos  after  the 
conquest  of  Mexico,  and  by  a  strange  coincidence  met  there  Francisco 
Pizarro,  who  was  just  starting  upon  his  career  of  bloodshed  and  devasta- 
tion in  Peru. 

The  town  of  Palos  was  selected  as  a  place  of  departure  for  Columbus, 
because  its  inhabitants,  on  account  of  a  disturbance  that  had  taken  place 
among  them  during  the  war  with  the  Moors,  had  been  condemned  to 
keep,  at  their  own  expense,  two  caravels  with  crews  and  arms  at  the 
service  of  the  State  for  one  year,  and  ready  for  sea  on  receipt  of  orders. 
At  Palos,  therefore,  on  the  23d  of  May,  1492,  Columbus  and  the  royal 
notary  went  to  the  church  of  St.  George,  with  all  the  customary  formali- 
ties, and  in  the  presence  of  the  Alcalde  and  other  magistrates,  and  a  mul- 
titude of  people,  read  the  order  of  the  sovereign  commanding  the  city  to 
fit  out  two  caravels  and  place  them  at  the  disposal  of  Columbus. 

189.  Ancient  fortification  at  Palos. 

190.  Reading  of  the  royal  order  commanding  the  citizens  of  Palos  to  furnish 

boats  and  men. 

(The  original  of  the  order  is  on  exhibition  in  the  chapel,  No.  903.) 

191.  Old  church  register  at  Palos  showing  the  record  of  the  baptism  of  the 

crew  of  Columbus  before  they  sailed. 

192.  View  of  the  road  which  Columbus  traveled  between  Palos  and  the  Con- 

vent of  La  Rabida. 

From  a  photograph  by  A.  W.  Wheeler,  Chicago. 

The  road  from  Palos  to  La  Rabida  is  unattractive,  with  few  houses 
contiguous,  and  no  noteworthy  object  to  attract  the  attention,  until  the 
convent  rises  above  the  traveler,  white  and  glistening,  upon  a  hill. 

193.  La  Casa  del  Campo. 

From  a  photograph  by  A.  W. 
Wheeler,  Chicago. 

Between  La  Rabida  and  the 
village  of  Palos  is  a  half  ruined 
building  called  "  La  Casa  del 
Campo" — The  Country  House 
— which  was  then  a  tavern,  in 
which  Columbus,  it  is  said, 
stopped  to  rest  and  chat  with 
the  people  on  his  journeys  to 
and  fro  when  he  was  preparing 
for  the  expedition. 

194.  Portrait  of  Alonzo  Pinzon. 

By  Leopold  Flameng. 


La  Casa  del  Campo. 


THE    CAREER    OF    COLUMBUS    IN    SPAIN. 


45 


Had  it  not  been  for  the  assistance  of  Martin  Alonzo  and  Vicente 
Yanez  Pinzon,  Columbus  would  have  had  great  difficulty  in  securing  the 
necessary  ships  and  men  for  the  vtiyage.  Martin  Alonzo  was  of  sturdy 
stock,  and  the  Pinzon  family  still  survive  in  the  homes  of  its  ancestors, 
at  Moguer,  near  Palos.  The  ancestral  residence  is  there,  and  over  the 
door  the  coat-ot-arms  granted  them  by  Charles  V,  emblematic  of  their 
service  as  explorers. 

195.  Present  appearance  of  the  Church  of  St.  George. 

The  Church  of  St. 
George  still  stands  just 
as  it  did  when  the  Al- 
calde, in  May,  1492, 
read  from  its  pulpit 
the  proclamation  of  the 
sovereigns  command- 
ing the  people  of  Palos 
to  furnish  ships  for  the 
use  of  Columbus.  On 
the  records  of  the 
church  are  the  names 
of  the  sailors  who  re- 
ceived communion  the 
morning  of  their  de- 
parture. 

196.  Priest  at  Church  of  St.  George,  Palos,  and  the  miraculous  Virgin. 

From  a  photograph  by  A.  W.  Wheeler,  Chicago. 

There  is  a  miracle-working  image  of  the  Virgin  in  the  old  church  at 
Palos  to  which  the  sailors  who  accompanied  Columbus  made  vows.  It 
stands  in  the  same  place  now  and  is  still  believed  to  be  endowed  with 
divine  power. 

197.  Bricks  and  tiles  from   the    original   monastery  of    La  Rabida,  Palos, 

Spain. 

Some  of  them  are  supposed  to  be  sixteen  centuries  old. 
19S.     Bust  of  Columbus,  and  flag  from  the  Convent  of  La  Rabida. 

Used  at  the  commemorative  ceremonies  on  the  14th  of  October,  1892. 
Presented  to  the  government  of  the  United  States  by  the  alcalde  and 
ayuntamiento  of  Huelva. 

On  the  3d  of  August,  1892,  the  alcalde  of  Palos  raised  the  flag  of  the 
United  States  over  the  Convent  of  La  Rabida  and  sent  the  following 
message  to  the  President  of  the  United  States: 

La  Rabida,  August  3d.  The  President:  To-day,  four  hundred  years  ago,  Colum- 
bus sailed  from  Palos  discovering  America.     The  United  States  flag  is  being  hoisted 


--"*^H~- 


4^  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

this  moment  in  front  of  the  Convent  La  Rabida,  along  with  banners  of  all  the  American 
States.  Batteries  and  ships  saluting,  accompanied  by  enthusiastic  acclamations  of  the 
people,  army  and  navy.    God  bless  America.  PRIETO, 

Alcalde  of  Palos. 
To  this  message  the  Hon.  John  W.   Foster,  Secretary  of  State  of  the 
United  States,  made  the  following  reply: 

Senor  PniETO,  Alcalde  de  Palos,  La  Rabida,  Spain:  The  President  of  the  United 
States  directs  me  to  cordially  acknowledge  your  message  of  greeting.  On  this  memor- 
able day,  thus  fittingly  celebrated,  the  people  of  the  new  western  world,  in  grateful 
reverence  to  the  name  and  fame  of  Columbus,  join  hands  with  the  sons  of  the  brave 
sailors  of  Palos  and  Huelva  who  manned  the  discoverer's  caravels.         FOSTER, 

Secretary  of  State. 


SCENES    ASSOCIATED    WITH    THE    FIRST    VOYAGE.  47 


SECTION  E.     SCENES  ASSOCIATED  WITH  THE  FIRST  VOYAGE 

OF  COLUMBUS. 


205.  Columbus  taking  leave  of  Father  Perez  de  Marchena,  August  3,  1492. 

Original  in  Convent  of  La  Rabida. 

Before  setting  sail,  on  the  morning  of  August  3,  1492,  Columbus 
attended  mass  in  the  chapel  of  the  monastery  of  La  Rabida,  partook  of 
the  communion  from  the  hands  of  his  faithful  friend,  Father  Perez  de 
Marchena,  and  was  accompanied  by  him  to  the  bar  of  Saltes,  a  small 
island  near  the  mouth  of  the  Odiel. 

206.  Columbus  bidding  farewell  to   Father  Juan  Perez  de  Marchena  on  his 

departure  from  Palos. 

Original  by  Jover. 

Upon  his  departure  from  Palos,  Columbus  intended  to  sail  south  to  the 
Canary  Islands,  and  then  due  west  to  the  Island  of  Cipango  (Japan); 
thence  to  Mangi,  or  Cathay  (China),  the  land  whose  wonders,  wealth  and 
magnificence  had  been  described  by  Marco  Polo.  He  therefore  carried 
with  him  a  letter  of  credentials  to  the  sovereigns  of  these  nations  from 
the  King  and  Queen  of  Spain,  of  which  the  following  is  a  translation: 

Ferdinand  and  Isabella  to  the  King : 

The  Spanish  sovereigns  have  heard  that  you  and  your  subjects  have  great  affection 
for  them  and  for  Spain.  They  are  further  aware  that  you  and  your  subjects  are  desir- 
ous of  information  respecting  Spain.  They,  therefore,  cordially  send  their  Grand 
Admiral,  Christopher  Columbus,  who  will  tell  you  that  they  are  in  good  health  and 
perfect  prosperity. 

I,  THE  KING. 
I,  THE  QUEEN. 

It  is  an  interesting  coincidence,  and  worthy  of  the  attention  of  the 
superstitious,  that  the  contract  between  Columbus  and  the  sovereigns 
was  signed  on  Friday;  that  he  sailed  from  Palos  on  Friday;  discovered 
land  on  Friday;  set  sail  homeward  on  Friday,  and  reached  Palos  on 
Friday. 
209.  The  Caravel  "Santa  Maria,"  as  reproduced  by  the  Spanish  government. 
The  "Santa  Maria"  had  three  masts,  square  sails  on  the  fore  and  main 
masts,  and  lateen  aft.  She  was  high  out  of  the  water,  with  castles  at  bow 
and  stern,  and  carried  the  royal  standard  of  Spain  at  the  main  (quar- 
tered with  the  lions  and  castles  of  Leon  and  Castile),  a  flag  with  a  green 
cross  in  the  center  at  the  fore,  and  the  royal  pennant  at  the  mizzen  yard. 


48 


THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 


207. 


The  caravel  "Santa  Maria,"  in  which  Columbus  sailed,  was  owned  by 
Juan  de  la  Cosa,  who  accompanied  Columbus  as  pilot,  and  afterward 
made  the  chart  of  the  New  World.  She  was  about  one  hundred  and 
twenty  tons  burden,  sixty-three  feet  over  all,  fifty-one  feet  keel,  and  ten 
and  a  half  feet  draught.  She  carried  four  small  guns  called  lombards, 
and  a  crew  of  seventy  men.  The  entire  expedition  consisted  of  only 
one  hundred  and  twenty  men,  and  carried  provisions  for  six  months. 
There  was  an  Irishman  in  the  crew  of  Columbus,  William  Harris,  of 
Galway,  and  an  Englishman  named  Arthur  Lake. 

The  "Pinta"  had  a  crew  of  thirty  men,  with  Martin  Alonzo  Pinzon  cap- 
tain, and  her  two  owners,  Gomez  Rascon  and  Cristobal  Quintero.  All  of 
the  crew  of  the  "Pinta"  were  from  Palos  or  the  immediate  vicinity.  The 
crew  of  the  "Nina"  consisted  of  only  twenty  men,  with  Vicente  Yanez 
Pinzon  ascaptain,  who  was  also  the  owner  of  the  vessel. 
Departure  of  Columbus  on  his  voyage  to  America.    (Original  by  Gisbert.) 

On  the  third  day  out  an  accident 
happened  to  the  "  Pinta,"  by  which 
they  were  obliged  to  put  into  the 
Canary  Islands  to  repair  damages, 
After  some  weeks  on  these  islands, 


Father  Perez  bidding  farewell  to  Columbus, 
they  went  out  into  the  unknown  sea,  the  9th  of  September,  the  last  land 
visible  being  the  mountains  of  Ferro. 
208.     The  caravels  of  Columbus. 

From  "La  Revista  de  la  Marina,"  a  Spanish  marine  journal. 
■  In  a  plan  for  a  historical  exhibit  at  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition, 
which  was  prepared  by  William  E.  Curtis,  director  of  the  Bureau  of  the 
American  Republics,  and  submitted  to  Congress  by  the  Hon.  James  G* 
Blaine,  it  was  proposed  to  reproduce  in  fac-simile  the  fleet  of  Columbus, 
and  anchor  the  vessels  off  the  shore  at  Jackson  Park  during  the  Exposi- 


SCENES    ASSOCIATED    WITH    THE    FIRST    VOYAGE.  49 

tion,  in  such  a  manner  as  to  place  them  in  contrast  with  the  model  bat- 
tle-ship which  represents  the  naval  architecture  of  this  century.  The 
plan  having  received  the  approval  of  Congress,  the  responsibility  of 
carrying  it  into  effect  was  imposed  upon  Mr.  Curtis,  the  author,  and  at 
his  request  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  detailed  Lieutenant  \V.  McCarty 
Little  as  an  expert  to  take  immediate  charge  of  the  work.  After  several 
weeks  of  investigation,  it  was  determined  that  the  caravels  could  not  be 
constructed  with  either  accuracy  or  economy  in  the  United  States,  and 
Lieutenant  Little  was  sent  to  Madrid  to  seek  the  co-operation  of  the 
Spanish  government  in  making  the  designs  and  constructing  the  vessels. 
At  his  request  the  minister  of  marine  appointed  a  board  of  naval  archi- 
tects and  archaeologists  who,  after  several  months  of  study  and  investi- 
gation, prepared  plans  for  the  reproduction  of  the  "Santa  Maria,"  which 
was  the  flagship  of  Columbus,  and  the  "Pinta"  and  "Nina"  which  com- 
posed his  fleet.  The  Spanish  government  also  agreed  to  undertake  the 
construction  of  the  first  named  and  larger  vessel,  provided  the  United 
States  would  build  the  two  smaller  caravels.  But  Congress  having 
failed  to  provide  funds  for  the  purpose,  Mr.  Curtis  appealed  to  Mr. 
Lyman  J.  Gage,  of  Chicago,  who  generously  advanced  a  sum  sufficient 
to  make  the  first  payment,  and  agreed  to  furnish  as  much  more  as  was 
necessary,  with  the  understanding  that  in  case  an  appropriation  was 
made  by  Congress  it  should  be  refunded  to  him.  The  Board  of  Direct- 
ors of  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition  afterward  assumed  the  respon- 
sibility, and  work  on  the  caravels  was  commenced  at  Barcelona.  Con- 
gress made  an  appropriation  to  pay  for  them,  and  the  money  advanced 
by  Mr.  Gage  was  refunded. 

The  three  caravels  were  completed  in  time  to  take  part  in  the  festivities 
at  Huelva,  Spain,  on  the  12th  of  October,  1892,  and  were  the  chief  attrac- 
tion on  that  occasion,  being  visited  by  the  Queen  and  royal  family  and  by 
thousands  of  visitors  at  that  place.  The  "Santa  Maria"  was  commanded 
by  Captain  Concas,  of  the  Spanish  Navy,  and  the  other  caravels  by  Lieu- 
tenant Howard  and  Lieutenant  Coffin,  of  the  United  States  Navy. 

On  the  6th  of  February  the  "Santa  Maria"  started  from  Cadiz,  under 
command  of  Captain  Concas,  for  a  voyage  across  the  Atlantic,  and  on 
the  19th  of  the  same  month  the  "Nina"  and  "Pinta"  followed,  being  con- 
voyed by  the  flagship  "Newark"  and  the  man-of-war  "Bennington,"  of  the 
United  States  Navy.  They  were  delivered  to  the  Spanish  authorities  at 
Havana,  and  were  towed  to  Hampton  Roads  by  Spanish  men-of-war. 
They  afterward  participated  in  the  naval  review  at  New  York,  where 
they  were  the  most  interesting  vessels  in  the  great  international  fleet. 
210.     Columbus  on  the  deck  of  his  ship. 

Many  strange  things  were  seen  by  the  Spaniards,  of  which  they  told 


50  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

on  their  return,  and  their  preposterous  tales  formed  a  considerable  por- 
tion of  the  literature  of  Europe  during  the  following  century.  Their 
yarns  and  those  related  by  other  returning  voyagers,  when  they  finally 
found  their  way  into  books,  afforded  the  artists  of  the  day  material  for 
some  fantastic  illustrations  concerning  the  birds  and  fishes  seen  at  sea, 
and  the  appearance  and  customs  of  the  natives  of  the  new  world.  Theo- 
dore de  Bry,  an  author  and  engraver  of  Antwerp,  published  a  volume  of 
large  size,  copiously  illustrated,  which  has  become  one  of  the  rarest  and 
most  valuable  examples  of  early  Americana. 

211.  Mutiny  at  sea. 

Several  times  during  the  first  voyage  to  the  New  World,  the  crews  of 
Columbus  were  on  the  verge  of  mutiny,  but  did  not  break  out  into  open 
rebellion.  The  two  important  crises  were  about  the  last  of  September, 
and  again  a  few  days  before  the  discovery  of  land;  in  both  cases  being 
probably  prevented  by  the  signs  of  land,  or  a  change  in  the  weather  that 
had  been  ominous  before. 

212.  Chart  of  part  of  the  Bahama   Islands,   showing  the  tracks  ascribed  to 

Columbus  on  his  discovery  of  the  New  World. 

The  generally  accepted  and  revised  route  of  Columbus,  as  laid  down 
by  latest  authorities,  reads:  Watling's  Island,  Rum  Cay,  Long  Island, 
Crooked  and  Fortune  Islands,  Mucares  Islands  or  Bahama  Bank,  to  the 
coast  of  Cuba,  at  the  Port  of  Jibara. 

213.  "The   first  cry  of  land." 

By  Frederick  Strasser,  1851.  Loaned  by  Carl  Pixis,  Kaiserslantern, 
Germany. 

Frederick  Strasser,  formerly  of  Salzberg,  Germany,  painted  this  pict- 
ure while  in  prison  at  Kaiserslantern,  Rhenish  Bavaria,  undergoing 
sentence  for  participation  in  the  revolution  of  1848.  Upon  his  release  in 
1856  he  emigrated  to  the  United  States. 

About  10  o'clock  on  the  night  of  October  11,  1492,  the  eve  of  the  dis- 
covery, Columbus  claimed  to  have  seen  a  moving  light  two  leagues 
ahead  of  the  "Santa  Maria,"  and  pointed  it  out  to  Pedro  Gutierrez  and 
others  of  the  crew.  This  was  probably  a  torch  in  the  hands  of  the  wife 
of  a  fisherman  who,  according  to  the  custom  of  the  natives  then,  and  the 
inhabitants  of  the  island  of  the  present  day,  was  perhaps  showing  a  bea- 
con to  guide  her  belated  husband  home.  The  admiral  ordered  a  vigilant 
watch  to  be  kept,  and  promised  a  silken  jacket  in  addition  to  the  pension 
which  the  King  and  Queen  had  offered  to  the  fortunate  man  who  should 
first  descry  the  coveted  land.  As  light  broke  in  the  morning,  Rodrigo 
de  Triana,  one  of  the  sailors  of  the  "Pinta,"  shouted  "tierra  oho T  and  a 
gun  was  fired  to  convey  the  glad  intelligence.     The  reward  was  claimed 


SCENES    ASSOCIATED    WITH    THE    FIRST    VOYAGE.  5 1 

by  and  given  to  Columbus,  because  he  saw  the  light  the  night  before. 
Rodrigo  was  so  disgusted  that  he  left  Spain  and  went  to  Constantinople, 
where  he  renounced  his  religion  and  became  a  Moslem. 

214.  First  sight  of  land  by  Columbus.' 

Oil  painting  by  H.  F.  Pluddemann.  Loaned  by  Mrs.  Pluddemann, 
Weisserhirsch,  Germany. 

215.  The  caravel  "Pinta." 

By  Rudolph  Cronau. 

216.  Landing  of  Columbus. 

By  Puebla.     Original  in  National  Museum,  Madrid. 

217.  Landing  of  Columbus. 

By  Vanderlyn.     Original  in  the  Capitol  at  Washington. 

On  the  morning  of  Friday,  October  12,  1492,  Columbus  landed,  with  a 
boat-load  of  sailors  from  each  of  the  caravels.  He  bore  the  royal  stand- 
ard and  the  banner  of  Aragon  and  Castile.  As  he  stepped  upon  the 
shores  he  proclaimed  formal  possession  in  the  name  of  the  sovereigns, 
which  was  duly  recorded  by  the  notary.  Then,  according  to  early 
writers,  he  knelt  and  offered  the  following  prayer:  "Oh,  Lord,  Eternal 
and  Almighty  God,  by  Thy  Sacred  Word  Thou  hast  created-the  heavens, 
the  earth  and  the  sea;  blessed  and  glorified  be  Thy  name,  and  praised 
be  Thy  majesty,  who  has  deigned  to  use  Thy  humble  servant  to  make 
Thy  sacred  name  known  and  proclaimed  in  the  other  parts  of  the  world." 

218.  Landing  of  Columbus. 

By  Garbrini,  Rome,  1892.     (In  the  chapel.     For  sale.) 

219.  Columbus  taking  possession  of  the  Island  of  San  Salvador. 

Original  by  Isidro  Gil  in  Circle  of  Fine  Arts,  Madrid,  Spain. 

The  little  fleet  was  anchored  at  a  distance  from  the  shore,  and  the  two 
brothers  Pinzon,  each  with  a  banner  having  on  it  the  letters  F.  and  I., 
initials  of  the  Spanish  sovereigns,  accompanied  Columbus  in  their  own 
boats. 

220.  The  landing  of  Columbus. 

By  J.  Garnelo,  Rome,  1892.  Original  in  Exposition  of  Fine  Arts, 
Madrid. 

221.  Arrival  of  Columbus  in  the  New  World. 

From  De  Bry's  Voyages. 

222.  View  of  Watling  Island,  the  landfall  of  Columbus. 

All  the  places  in  America  visited  by  Columbus  can  be  absolutely  iden- 
tified, except  his  first  landfall,  called  by  the  natives  Guanahani,  and  by 
him  San  Salvador.  Each  of  half  a  dozen  islands  in  the  Bahama  group 
has  had  its  advocates,  but  the  highest  authorities  favor  Watling  Island 
because  it  answers  more  closely  to  the  description  given  by  Columbus  in 


52  THE    RELICS    OE    COLUMBUS. 

his  journal.  Watling's  Island  lies  in  latitude  240  degrees  north.  It  is 
about  thirteen  miles  long,  from  six  to  seven  wide,  and  has  an  area  of 
about  sixty  square  miles,  nearly  half  of  which  is  covered  by  a  series  of 
lagoons,  connected  with  each  other  by  narrow  passages.  Watling 
Island  is  175  miles  from  New  Providence,  the  capital  of  the  Bahamas, 
which  can  be  reached  by  the  New  York  and  Cuba  line  of  steamers,  and 
about  seventy-five  miles  from  Fortune  Island,  where  the  Atlas  line  of 
steamers  from  New  York  touch;  but  it  has  no  regular  transportation 
facilities,  and  to  reach  it  one  must  hire  a  sail  boat  at  Nassau. 

223.  Watling    Island.      The    bay    in   which  Columbus    is  believed  to  have 

landed. 

224.  Conjectural  landing-place  of  Columbus,  Watling  Island. 

Although  there  has  been  some  dispute  about  the  actual  landing- 
place  of  Columbus,  on  Watling  Island,  owing  to  a  confused  rendering 
of  his  journal,  yet  the  majority  of  writers  have  agreed  that  it  was  on  the 
east  coast,  in  or  near  the  bay  known  as  Green's  Harbor,  and  in  a  cove  at 
its  southern  extremity.  There  is  a  headland  there,  whence  the  bay 
stretches  northwardly  some  three  miles,  and  an  excellent  place  for 
landing,  after  the  coral  reefs  have  been  passed,  under  the  lee  of  the 
cliffs.  Stopping  here  a  day,  Columbus  thence  explored  the  coast  in 
small  boats,  keeping  behind  the  barrier  reefs  of  coral  that  lie  off  the 
beach  and  surround  the  island. 

225.  Etching  of  Watling  Island. 

By  Henry  R.  Blaney,  well-known  artist  of  Boston,  Massachusetts, 
from  photographs  taken  by  Frederick  A.  Ober,  Speci?l  Commissioner  of 
the  World's  Columbian  Exposition  to  the  West  Indies. 

View  representing  the  beach  upon  which  it  is  conjectured  Columbus 
landed,  looking  seaward,  the  bluffs  on  which  the  Chicago  Herald  monu- 
ment is  built  at  the  right,  and  scattered  coral  reefs  in  the  water  of  the 
middle  foreground. 

226.  Point  on  Watling  Island  near  where  Columbus  landed. 

From  photograph  by  Walter  Wellman. 

In  the  summer  of  1891  the  enterprising  Chicago  Herald  sent  an 
expedition  to  the  Bahamas  in  search  of  the  landfall  and  landing-place 
of  Columbus.  The  chief  of  the  expedition,  Mr.  Walter  Wellman, 
accomplished  the  work  satisfactorily  and  made  an  admirable  report, 
which  was  published  in  the  Herald  at  the  time  and  attracted  wide  atten- 
tion. He  decided  upon  the  spot  at  which  the  great  navigator  landed, 
near  the  south  end  of  Green's  Harbor,  and  there  erected  a  monument 
with  a  granite  globe  set  within  and  with  a  suitable  inscription. 


SCENES    ASSOCIATED    WITH    THE    FIRST    VOYAGE. 


53 


227.  Great  lagoons,  interior  of  Watling  Island. 

An  important  point  in  favor  of  Watling  as  the  landfall  of  Columbus, 
in  comparison  with  other  islands  claiming  it,  is  the  fact  that  it  has  in  its 
center  a  great  lagoon  as  a  distinctive  feature.  Columbus  particularly 
states  that  the  first  island  on  which  he  landed  had  a  large  lagoon  in  its 
center,  and  this  description  will  only  apply  to  Watling's  and  to  Crooked 
Island. 

228.  Riding  Rock  Bay,  Watling  Island. 


230. 


231, 


Bay  near  where  Columbus  landed. 

The  only  settlement  on  Watling  Island  is  that  of  Cockburn  Town,  at 
Riding  Rock  Bay,  on  the  west  side  of  the  island.  Here  is  the  port 
of  entry,  the  house  of  the  resident  magistrate,  a  chapel,  church, 
and  a  few  score  huts  and  houses.  Riding  Rock  has  a  fine  bay,  but  is 
exposed  to  storms  at  times  and  is  then  unsafe.  It  is  supposed  that 
Columbus  came  around  the  island — around  its  northern  point — and  then 
along  the  west  shore  as  far  as  this  point,  whence  he  took  his  departure 
for  Rum  Cay  and  Long  Island. 

The  landing  of  Columbus. 
From  an  old  print. 

The  landing  of  Columbus. 
By  Rudolph  Cronau. 


54 


THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 


232.  Sketches  of  Watling  Island. 

By  Rudolph  Cronau. 

A  German  author,  Rudolph  Cronau,  made  an  exhaustive  investigation 
into  the  antiquities  and  early  history  of  America,  visiting  in  person  most 
of  the  scenes  of  the  discovery  and  conquest,  and  published  the  result  of 
his  researches  in  1892,  in  German,  Spanish|and  English,  with  engravings 
from  his  own  drawings. 

233.  Baptist  Chapel,  Watling  Island. 

The  Baptists  are  in  the  majority  in  Watling  Island,  and  their  chief 
place  of  worship  is  at  Cockburn  Town.  Like  nearly  all  the  houses  of 
the  island,  it  is  built  with  walls  of  stone,  and  covered  with  a  roof  of 
thatch  composed  of  palm  leaves 

234.  Lighthouse  at  Watling  Island. 

The  Bahamas,  for 
many  years  after  their 
settlement,  were  the 
abode  of  pirates  and 
wreckers,  who  system- 
atically pursued  their 
nefarious  business  of 
wrecking  vessels  and 
sometimes  murdering 
the  crews  for  the  plun- 
der they  obtained.  The 
establishing  of  light- 
houses by  the  English 
government  was 
looked  upon  by  them 
with  deep  resentment,  Lighthouse  at  Watling  Island, 

a  feeling  with  which  they  still  regard  them.  The  lighthouse  at  Watling 
is  first  class,  built  upon  a  hill  overlooking  the  site  of  the  first  landing- 
place  of  Columbus,  and  is  equipped  with  everything  necessary  to  an 
isolated  station  where  stores  are  not  easily  obtained. 

235.  Prominent  citizens  of  Watling  Island. 

From  photograph  by  Walter  Wellman. 

The  entire  population  of  Watling,  except  the  magistrate,  the  parson, 
the  schoolmaster  and  the  police  force  (consisting  of  one  individual),  is 
composed  of  laborers  and  fishermen.  In  the  interior  of  the  island  they 
have  their  "farms,"  where  they  work  hard  to  raise  a  scant  crop  of  corn, 
pines,  bananas,  or  vegetables. 

The  present   inhabitants  of  Watling  support  themselves  by  fishing, 


SCENES    ASSOCIATED    WITH    THE    FIRST    VOYAGE. 


55 


236. 


237- 


238. 


conching,  wrecking,  turtling,  and  trying  to  cultivate  the  thin  soil  that 
covers  the  rock  of  which  their  barren  island  is  composed.  They  earn  a 
precarious  existence,  and  are  frequently  on  the  point  of  starvation,  as  in 
the  summer  of  1892,  when  all  the  crops  failed  on  account  of  4he  drought. 
They  are  honest,  good  workmen,  faithful,  and  demand  only  two  shillings 
a  day  for  their  services.  From  the  nature  of  things,  their  island  being 
so  poor  and  so  far  distant  from  a  market,  being  visited  only  by  infrequent 
vessels,  they  can  never  improve  their  condition. 
Types  of  the  population  of  Watling  Island. 


4k 


»*QW* 


Types  of  population  of  Watling  Island. 

Of  the  several  hundred  people  composing  the  population  of  Watling 
Island,  there  are  but  two  or  three  that  are  white.  They  are  nearly  all  the 
descendants  of  the  slaves  freed  by  the  English  Act  of  Emancipation  and 
who  have  succeeded  to  the  estates  of  their  former  owners.  These  estates 
are  now  in  ruins,  the  cleared  fields  long  since  overgrown  with  scrub,  and 
ruin  and  desolation  is  visible  everywhere. 
Natives  of  Watling  Island. 

From  photograph  by  Walter  Wellman. 

The  Island  of  San  Salvador  as  described  in  the  journal  of  Columbus. 

From  an  old  print. 

In  the  course  of  their  investigation  to  ascertain  the  resources  of  the 
islands  visited,  the  Spaniards  first  discovered  the  potato,  which  was 
extensively  cultivated  by  the  natives  and  was  their  principal  article  of 
food.  A  considerable  quantity  was  taken  aboard  the  ships  and  intro- 
duced into  Spain  upon  their  return,  but  it  was  many  years  before  its  use 


UNIVERSI 


56 


THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 


became  general.  They  also  discovered  tobacco,  of  which  Columbus 
writes  in  his  journal:  "The  men  always  carried  in  their  hands  burning 
weeds  for  to  inhale  the  smoke.  These  were  dry  weeds  rolled  up  in  a 
leaf,  which  was  dry  also,  and  lighting  one  end  of  it  they  suck  the  other 
and  absorb  or  inhale  the  smoke.  These  fireworks,  or  whatever  name  we 
may  give  them,  they  call  toLaccos." 

239.  Present  inhabitants  of  Watling  Island. 

The  chief  building  material 
of  the  Bahamas,  abundant 
everywhere,  is  the  soft  coral 
limestone  that  is  easily  worked 
and  sawed  into  building  blocks. 
It  makes  the  best  of  founda- 
tions and  walls,  giving  strong 
and  cool  houses,  and  withstands 
the  shocks  of  the  hurricane  as  no  Inhabitants  of  Watling  Island, 

other  could.  The  roofs  are  of  thatch,  made  from  the  native  palmetto  or 
"  head  palm,"  and  neatly  laid  o,n  the  rafters.  There  are  few  glass  windows, 
the  apertures  being  closed  with  wooden  shutters,  and  the  furnishings  of 
the  houses  are  simple  in  the  extreme. 

240.  Boatman  of  Watling  Island. 

241.  Magistrate's  house  at  Watling  Island. 

From  photograph  by  Walter 
Wellman. 

Until  quite  recently,  the  only 
white  family  on  the  island  was 
that  of  the  resident  magistrate, 
Hon.  Maxwell  Nairn,  who  has 
lived  there  for  many  years  and 
is  looked  upon  by  the  inhabi- 
tants of  Watling  Island  as  a 
father  and  friend.  He  has 
earned  a  reputation  for  upright- 
ness and  hospitality  that  is 
universal    throughout    the     Ba-  Magistrate's  house, 

hamas,  and  the  news  that  he  was  stricken  with  paralysis  in  the  summer 
of  1892  was  received  with  general  sorrow.  After  many  years  of  faithful 
service,  he  is  now  retired  on  a  pittance  of  a  pension  not  adequate  for  his 
support.     ' 

242.  Map  of  the  Bahama  Islands,  showing  the  conjectural  track  of  Columbus. 

Made  and  presented  by  Rudolph  Cronau. 


SCENES    ASSOCIATED    WITH    THE    FIRST    VOYAGE. 


57 


243. 

244. 

248. 


249. 


250. 


Map  of  Watling  Island. 

Made  and  presented  by  Rudolph  Cronau. 

One  of  the  cottages  on  Watling  Island. 

Harbor  of  Jibarra,  where  Columbus  first  landed  in  Cuba. 

After  the  first  landing  in  the  Bahamas,  at  Watling  Island,  and  after 
subsequently  cruising  along  the  shores  of  Long  Island,  Crooked  and 
Fortune,  Columbus  took  his  departure  from  Fortune,  which  he  called 
Isabella,  and  steered  southwesterly  toward  an  island  the  natives  had 
told  him  of  and  called  Cuba.  On  the  28th  of  October,  1492,  he  sighted 
some  high  mountains,  and  landed  on  a  beautiful  coast.  These  mount- 
ains arethought  to  have  been  those  of  Jibarra,  on  the  north  coast  of  Cuba 
and  their  peculiar  formation  is  described  by  Columbus  in  his  journal. 
Harbor  of  Baracoa,  Cuba.     Visited  by  Columbus  on  his  first  voyage. 

One  of  the  most  beautiful  ports  in  the  world,  speaking  of  its  natural 
attractions,  is  that  of  Baracoa,  on  the  north  coast  (southeastern  end)  of 
Cuba.  It  was  discovered  and  entered  by  Columbus  in  1492,  when  on  his 
voyage  toward  Hayti,  and  just  before  he  had  discovered  that  island,  and 
he  makes  particular  mention  of  a  great  table-topped  mountain  that  was 
conspicuous  from  the  sea,  and  which  identifies  the  port  with  the  one  of 
his  description.  This  mountain  is  known  now,  as  then,  as  Yunque,  and 
is  a  prominent  landmark. 
Site  of  Guarico,  Indian  village  of  Gucanagari,  who  befriended  Columbus. 

(Here  the  wreckage  of  the  car- 
avel "Santa  Maria"  was  brought 
ashore.  The  anchor  of  Colum- 
bus was  found  a  mile  distant 
from  this  spot.)  From  photo- 
graph by  F.  A.  Ober. 

Continuing  his  voyage  from 
the  coast  of  Cuba,  Columbus 
sighted  a  lofty  island  which  the 
natives  called  Bohio,  and  where 
he  was  told  that  much  gold 
would  be  found.  He  first  landed 
at  Mole  San  Nicholas,  and 
thence  sailed  leisurely  along  the  coast  toward  the  present  Cape  Haytien, 
where  he  had  the  misfortune  to  lose  his  flagship,  the  "Santa  Maria,"  upon 
a  reef,  and  she  became  a  total  wreck.  In  his  distress  he  received  assist- 
ance from  the  Indian  chieftain  (Cacique)  Guacanagari,  whose  town  of 
Guarico  was  only  four  or  five  miles  distant.     The  settlement   has  ever 


Where  the  "Santa  Maria"  was  lost. 


58 


THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 


since  preserved  the  name  of  Guarico,  and  is  identified  with  the  present 
bourg  of  Petit  Anse,  not   more  than  three  miles  from  Cape  Haytien. 


few  fc&?-.1S§s§yfe«  .»  *•'-• 


251. 


Present  appearance  of.  site  of  Guarico. 

The  wreck  of  the  "  Santa  Maria  "  occurred  on  Christmas  Eve,  1492, 
and  from  that  circumstance  Columbus  called  the  first  fort  he  erected 
here  Navidad,  or  the  Nativity.  It  was  built  mainly  out  of  the  wreckage 
of  the  flagship  and  was  said  to  be  a  tower,  surrounded  with  a  ditch. 
Having  then  but  two  vessels,  and  not  room  enough  for  all,  Columbus 
left  some  forty  men  at  Navidad,  and  then,  after  provisioning  and  arming 
the  fort,  sailed  for  Spain. 

The  site  of  the  fort  is  a  hill,  isolated  by  surrounding  salines,  or  salt 
flats,  and  commanding  the  channels  by  which  the  vessels  of  Columbus 
approached  the  shore.  The  fort  was  destroyed  and  the  garrison  massa- 
cred by  Indians  in  1493,  and  Columbus,  on  his  return  on  the  second  voy- 
age, found  not  one  of  his  men  alive. 
Samana  Bay,  Santo  Domingo. 

This,  one  of  the  beautiful  bays  of  the  world,  is  on  the  north  coast  of 
Santo  Domingo,  and  was  discovered  by  Columbus  in  January,  1493.  It 
has  long  been  celebrated  as  an  objective  point  for  a  coaling-station 
and  for  settlement,  having  deep  water,  fine  scenery,  healthful  situation, 
and  advantageous  position  as  relates  to  the  other  islands  of  the  West 
Indies  and  their  commerce.  The  town  here  is  Santa  Barbara,  on  the 
shores  of  a  deep  bay. 


SCENES    ASSOCIATED    WITH    THE    FIRST    VOYAGE.  59 

252.     Flats  back  of  Petit  Anse,  Hayti. 


1 


Flats  at  Petit  Anse,  near  Navidad. 

253.  Coast  of  Hayti,  near  Navidad. 

254.  Columbus  trading. 

From  De  Bry's  Voyages. 

255.  Present  inhabitants  of  Petit  Anse. 

256.  The  anchor  of  Columbus.     (In  the  chapel.) 

There  is  evidence  considered  conclusive  that  this  anchor 
was  one  of  those  of  the  flagship,  the  "  Santa  Maria,"  which 
was  wrecked  on  the  coast  of  Hayti  on  the  first  voyage, 
Christmas  Eve,  1492.  It  was  presented  by  Dr.  Alejandro 
Llenas  of  Puerto  Plata,  Santo  Domingo.  Dr.  Llenas  was  at 
one  time  a  resident  at  Cape  Haytien,  and  while  'there  de- 
voted himself  to  a  study  of  the  voyages  of  Columbus,  with  a 
view  to  identifying  positively  the  localities  of  the  different 
landfalls,  landings,  residences  of  the  caciques,  and  first  set- 
tlements. Columbus,  in  his  inventory  of  articles  left  at  the 
fortress  erected  here,  mentions  an  "  anchor  of  the  caravel." 
In  the  course  of  time  it  was  carried  some  distance  inland, 
where  it  was  found  by  the  Columbian  commissioner,  on  an 
old  plantation.  The  concurrent  evidence  of  history  and  local 
tradition  point  to  this  anchor  as  genuine,  as  well  as  its  shape 
(being  of  the  fifteenth  century  type),  the  evidence  of  Columbus  himself 
and  the  locality  in  which  it  was  found.  Historians  in  different  centuries 
have  mentioned  it,  and  a  learned  French  antiquarian  has  proved  it  to  be 
of  the  type  used  by  Columbus.    Mr.  Curtis  obtained  his  first  knowledge  of 


V 


6o 


THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMIiUS. 


ng 


the 


the  anchor  from  a  letter  written  by  a  Dr.  Henneker  to  Washington  It 
in  1832,  and  published  as  a  note  in  the  latter's  life  of  Columbus. 

258.  Beach   at   Las    Flechas.     Scene   of  the   first   encounter   between 

Indians  and  the  crew  of  Columbus  on  his  first  voyage. 

The  first  blood  shed  in  the  New  World  in  an  encounter  between  the 
Indians  and  the  Europeans  was  after  the  entrance  by  Columbus  into  the 
Bay  of  Samana,  where  some 
fierce  Caribs  were  met.  The 
scene  of  this  encounter  is  at 
a  small  bay  known  to-day 
as  Las  Flechas,  because  of 
the  number  of  arrow-heads 
picked  up  after  the  fight. 

259.  Bay  of  Samana,  Santo  Do- 

mingo. 

Rounding  the  great  c£ffs 
of  Balandra  Head;  Colum- 
bus discovered  before  him  a 
magnificent  bay  or  gulf,  its 
farther  shores  hidden  in  mist, 
and  the  near  hills  clothed  in 
luxuriant  tropical  vegetation. 
This  was  in  January,  1493,  at 
the  end  of  his  first  voyage, 
and  from  this  bay  he  practi- 
cally took  his  departure  for 
Spain. 

Throughout  the  first  voy- 
age to  the  New  World  on 
the  outward  passage  the 
weather  was  propitious,  but 
on  the  return  a  series  of 
gales  was  encountered,  which 
had  they  opposed  the  out- 
ward cruise,  would  have 
effectually  prevented  the 
great  discovery.  About  the 
middle  of  February  the  two 
shattered  caravels  were  ex- 
posed to  a  fearful  storm  that 
nearly  wrecked  them.  Our  Lady  of  the  Angels. 


SCENES    ASSOCIATED    WITH    THE    FIRST    VOYAGE. 


6 1 


260.     Views  of  St.  Mary,  of  the  Azores  Islands. 

Columbus  landed  at  St.  Mary,  one  of  the  Azores  Islands,  on  February 
18,  1493,  to  fulfill  a  vow  made  during  a  gale.  Half  the  crew  went  ashore 
and  left  offerings  for  "  Our  Lady  of  the  Angels."  They  were  received 
with  great  hostility  by  the  governor  of  the  island,  who  also  attempted  to 
gain  possession  of  Columbus,  detaining  the  sailors  two  days,  but  finally 
releasing  them,  when  Columbus  continued  his  voyage.  The  governor 
claimed  that  he  acted  by  orders  of  the  King  of  Portugal,  who  wished  to 
obtain  the  information  in  possession  of  the  Spaniards.  Leaving  St. 
Mary,  they 
had  pleasant 
weather  un- 
til near  the 
coast  of  Port- 
ugal, where  a 
storm  over- 
took them 
that  lasted 
several  days, 
and  the  4th 
of  March 
they  were  off 
the  mouth  of 

the       TagUS,  View  of  St.  Mary,  of  the  Azores, 

entering  which  they  found  shelter. 

261.  Views  of  St.  Mary,  of  the  Azores  Islands. 

262.  Views  of  St.  Mary,  of  the  Azores  Islands. 

263.  View  of  the  city  of  Lisbon,  Portugal,  showing  where  Columbus  landed 

on  his  return  from  the  New  World. 

When  Columbus  reached  Lisbon,  on  his  way  to  Palos,  he  was  very 
badly  treated,  and  according  to  some  reports,  narrowly  escaped  assassi- 
nation. His  first  act  was  to  send  a  trusty  messenger  to  Spain  to  convey 
the  news  of  his  arrival  to  his  sovereigns  and  to  bear  two  letters  describ- 
ing the  voyage,  which  he  had  written  to  Luis  Santangel,  the  receiver  of 
the  ecclesiastical  revenues,  who  had  advanced  the  funds,  and  to  Rafael 
Sanchez,  the  royal  treasurer,  who  had  also  been  his  steadfast  friend.  He 
also  sent  a  letter  to  the  King  of  Portugal,  then  sojourning  nine  leagues 
away  from  the  capital,  asking  the  hospitality  of  the  port,  for  the  reason 
that  his  vessel  was  unseaworthy  and  he  needed  supplies.  On  the  third 
day  he  received  an  invitation  to  visit  the  Court,  which  was  accepted  with 
reluctance.  He  was  kindly  received,  however,  treated  with  honor,  and 
permitted  to  depart  in  peace. 


62 


THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS, 


264.  Cathedral  at  Lisbon,  where  Columbus  received  benediction  upon  his 

return  from  his  first  voyage. 

265.  Castle  of  Belem,  where  Columbus  landed  in  Lisbon  on  his  return  from 

his  first  voyage. 

266.  Presentation  of  Columbus  to  Ferdinand  and  Isabella  on  his  return  from 

the  first  voyage.  , 

By  A.  Deveria. 

It  is  not  difficult  to  imagine  the  excitement  of  the  people  when  on  the 
15th  of  March,  after  seven  months'  absence,  the  leaking  "Nina"  crossed 
the  bar  of  Palos.  The  exultation  of  the  sailors,  the  wonderful  tales  they 
told,  and  the  sensation  created  by  the  Indians  and  other  strange  evi- 
dences of  a  New  World,  have  been  described  by  eloquent  pens,  and  the 
procession  which  followed  Columbus  to  the  chapel  has  been  pictured  in 
glowing  words  and  brilliant  colors. 

The  Court  was  at  Barcelona  when  Columbus  returned,  and  he  for- 
warded a  dignified  announcement  of  his  arrival  to  his  royal  patrons. 
Then  he  proceeded  to  Seville  to  await  the  commands  of  their  majesties. 
It  came  in  these  words  : 

Letter  of  the  King  and  Queen  to  Columbus  upon  his  return  from  the  discovery. 

The  King  and  Queen  to  Don  Christopher  Columbus,  our  Admiral  of  the  Ocean,  and 
Viceroy  and  Governor  of  the  Islands  discovered  in  the  Indies  :  We  have  seen  your  let- 
ters and  received  much  pleasure  from  their  contents.  We  are  rejoiced  that  God  has 
granted  so  fortunate  an  issue  to  your  enterprise,  which  will  redound  much  to  His 
service  and  to  the  profit  of  ourselves  and  our  dominions.  For  these  great  services  we 
hope  to  reward  you  in  a  manner  suitable  to  your  merits  ;  and  as  it  is  our  wish  that  the 
undertaking  that  has  been  begun  by  you  be,  with  the  help  of  God,  carried  on  an.l 
accomplished  ;  and  as  we  desire  to  see  you  immediately,  we  request  therefore  that  you 
will  use  all  possible  speed  in  hastening  to  us,  that  all  necessary  preparations  may  be 
made  without  delay.  And  as  the  season  is  early  and  favorable  for  your  return  to  the 
countries  you  have  discovered,  we  wish  you  would  ascertain  whether  measures  cannot 
be  taken  at  Seville  or  other  places,  necessary  to  that  end.  We  request  you  to  write  by 
the  courier  who  brings  you  this,  and  who  returns  immediately,  that  the  whole  may  be 
arranged  by  the  time  you  return  thither  to  us. 

Barcelona,  March  30,  1493. 

I,  THE  KING. 

I,  THE  QUEEN. 
By  order  of  the  King  and  Queen, 

FERNAND   ALVAREZ. 

267.  Reception  of  Columbus  by  the  Spanish  sovereigns.- 

By  R.  Balaca. 

268.  Columbus  presenting  his  trophies  to  the  King  and  Queen  of  Spain,  at 

Barcelona,  on  his  return  from  his  first  voyage. 

Las  Casas,  the  monk  who  was  subsequently  known  as  "  The  Apostle  of 
the  Indies,"  and  whose  father  accompanied  Columbus  on  the  voyages, 
witnessed  the  reception  of  Columbus  at  Barcelona  and  described  it  in 


SCENES    ASSOCIATED    WITH    THE    FIRST    VOYAGE. 


63 


his  "  Historic"  He  tells  us  that  when  Columbus  entered  the  apartment 
surrounded  by  his  brilliant  escort,  both  monarchs  arose  to  greet  him. 
When  he  knelt  to  kiss  their  hands,  they  gloriously  assisted  him  to  rise 
and  gave  him  a  seat  before  them  while  he  related  his  adventures.  As  he 
proceeded  with  his  narration  he  handed  his  sovereigns  the  barbaric  orna- 
ments of  the  people  he  had  discovered,  and  called  to  the  throne  the 
Indians,  who  were  crouching  behind  him  dismayed  at  the  splendor  of 
the  scene.  At  the  close  of  the  interview  the  choir  in  the  adjoining 
chapel  chanted  a  Te  Deum,  and  the  admiral  was  conducted  to  a  suite  of 
royal  apartments,  where  he  found  his  son  Diego,  who,  during  his  long 
absence,  had  been  serving  as  a  page  at  Court. 
2690  Views  of  Barcelona. 
The  city  of  Barce- 
lona, where  Columbus 
met  with  a  brilliant  re- 
ception by  Ferdinand 
and  Isabella,  on  his  re- 
turn from  his  first  voy- 
age, is  a  seaport  on  the 
M  e  d  i  t  e  rranean,  and 
had  long  been  the  in- 
dustrial and  commer- 
cial center  of  eastern 
Spain.  Its  pre-emi- 
nence in  this  respect 
dates  from  the  twelfth 
and  thirteenth  cen- 
turies. It  was  the  rival 
of  Venice  and  Genoa 
in  Columbus'  day,  and 
in  renown  its  hardy 
mariners  were  second 
to  none.  The  discov- 
eries of  Columbus  add- 
ed greatly  to  the  com- 
merce of  Barce- 
lona, as  they  did  to 
that  of  Se  v  i  1 1  e ,  a  n  d 
great  prosperity  ruled 
at  both  points  until  the 
American     colonies  Ancient  Cathedral,  Barcelona, 

began  to  fall  under  the  sway  of  France  and  England,  when  a  decline  in 


64 


THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 


270. 


271. 


272. 


this  prosperity  set  in.  Barcelona,  however,  has  declined  the  least  of  all, 
and  now  its  population  numbers  two  hundred  and  fifty-two  thousand 
persons. 

The  city  of  Barcelona  has  been  so  much  changed  during  the  last  two 
c  e  n  t  u  r  ies  that 
there  are  very- 
few  remains  of 
buildings  iden- 
tified with  Co- 
lumbus, a  1  - 
though  the  pal- 
ace in  which  he 
was  received  by 
the  King  and 
Queen,  the  ca- 
thedral in  which 
the  Te  Deum 
was  sung  in  his 
honor,  and  the 
tower  in  which 
he  is  said  to 
have  lodged,can 
still  be  identi- 
fied. The  streets 
through  which 
he  passed  at  the 
head  of  tri- 
umphal proces- 
sion have,  how- 
ever, been  en-  Towers  where  Columbus  lodged,  Barcelona, 
tirely  renewed  and  modernized. 
Columbus  exhibiting  the  trophies  of  his  first  voyage  at  Court. 

Photographic  copy  of  a  Beauvais  tapestry  hanging  in  the  drawing- 
room  of  the  residence  of  Mrs.  John  W.  Mackay,  Carleton  Terrace,  Lon- 
don, England. 

Reception  of  Columbus. 
Original  in  Circle  of  Fine  Arts,  Madrid,  Spain. 

Reception  of  Columbus  after  his  return  from  his  first  voyage. 

Original  by  Robert  Fleury. 

In  obedience  to  the  command  of  the  sovereigns,  Columbus  hastened  to 
Barcelona  with  a  portion  of  his  associates  and  six  of  the  natives  he  had 
brought  with  him.     Three  of  the  Indians  were  too  ill  to  make  the  jour- 


SCENES    ASSOCIATED    WITH    THE    FIRST    VOYAGE.  65 

ney,  and  one  had  died  at  sea  immediately  after  baptism.  A  pious 
writer  of  the  time  quaintly  suggests  that  he  was  the  first  of  his  race  to 
enter  heaven.  About  the  middle  of  April  Columbus  entered  the  city, 
escorted  by  a  brilliant  cavalcade  that  had  gone  out  to  meet  him.  His 
Indians,  arrayed  in  their  native  costume,  led  the  procession.  Following 
them  were  the  sailors  bearing  the  other  trophies  of  the  voyage,  includ- 
ing forty  parrots  and  other  birds  of  gorgeous  plumage,  the  skins  of 
animals  hitherto  unknown,  and  the  articles  of  gold  and  other  ornaments 
he  had  secured  by  barter.  Then,  on  horseback,  surrounded  by  the 
chivalry  of  Spain,  rode  the  great  admiral,  receiving  with  dignified  sim- 
plicity the  ovations  of  the  people.  The  Alcazar  of  the  Moorish  kings 
in  the  Calle  (street)  Ancha  was  the  temporary  residence  of  Ferdinand 
and  Isabella,  who  received  him  seated  upon  thrones  under  a  canopy  of 
brocaded  gold. 

273.     Episode  of  the  egg,  by  Hogarth. 

At  a  banquet  given  in  honor  of  Columbus  by  Cardinal  Mendoza,  a 
shallow  courtier  attempted  to  depreciate  his  achievements  by  saying 
•  that  any  one  might  have  made  the  discovery.  Columbus,  taking  an  egg 
in  his  hand,  asked  the  courtier  if  he  could  make  it  stand  on  end.  A 
sneer  was  the  only  reply.  The  admiral  struck  the  end  on  the  table  and 
then  stood  it  up.  "  Any  one  can  do  that,"  remarked  the  courtier.  "  Very 
true,"  Columbus  is  reported  to  have  replied,  "  when  he  has  been  shown 
the  way." 

274a.  Altar  of  Carthusian  Convent  at  Burgos,  Spain. 

This  altar  is  said  by  some  historians  to  have  been  gilded  with  the  first 
gold  brought  by  Columbus  from  the  New  World.  This  convent,  called  the 
Cartuja,  stands  outside  the  city  limits,  in  a  beautiful  situation,  and  is 
in  a  good  state  of  preservation. 

274b.  Cane  of  native  wood  tipped  with  horn,  cut  near  the  site  of  La  Navidad, 
Hayti,  where  a  fortress  was  erected  by  Columbus  in   1492. 
Loaned  by  William  E.  Curtis,  Washington,  D.  C. 

275.     Columbus  presenting    an    account    of  the  discovery  to  the   King  and 
Queen. 

By  Jover. 

During  the  following  weeks  Columbus  had  frequent  interviews  with  the 
King  and  Queen,  and  related  again  and  again  the  incidents  of  the  voyage. 
No  monarch  was  ever  received  or  treated  with  greater  honors  or  more 
assiduous  attention,  not  only  by  the  sovereigns,  but  by  all  connected  with 
the  Court.  Throngs  followed  him  in  the  street  to  do  him  honor,  and  the 
obsequious  courtiers  kissed  his  hands.     Contemporary  writers  relate  that 


66 


THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 


he  rode  frequently  through  the  streets  of  Barcelona  beside  the  King,  and 
often  appeared  in  public  in  company  with  Queen  Isabella. 


Reception  of  Columbus  by  Queen  Isabella. 

The  first  news  of  the  discoveries  of  Columbus  reached  Italy  in  a  letter 
written  from  Barcelona  in  May,  1493,  by  Peter  Martyr,  the  friend  of 
Columbus  and  the  famous  author,  to  Cardinal  Ascanio  Sforza  and  to 
Joseph  Borremeo.     In  the  last  named  letter  Peter  Martyr  says: 

A  few  days  after,  a  certain  Christopher  Columbus,  a  Ligurian,  returned  from  the 
antipodes.  He  had  obtained  for  that  purpose  three  ships  from  my  sovereigns  with 
much  difficulty,  because  the  ideas  which  he  expressed  were  considered  extravagant.  He 
came  back  and  brought  specimens  of  money  and  precious  things,  especially  gold, 
which  these  regions  naturally  produce. 

276.     Wonders  of  the  New  World,  as  seen  by  Columbus. 

From  an  old  engraving  in  Philopono's  Voyage  to  the  New  World  of 
the  Western  Indies. 

The  sailors  who  accompanied  Columbus  told  strange  stories  of  their 
adventures  when  they  returned  to  their  friends  in  Spain.  Father  Philo- 
pono,  a  Jesuit  priest,  added  an  equally  interesting  and  absurd  volume  to 
the  literature  of  the  day,  basing  his  book  upon  the  narratives  of  the 
priests  and  monks  who  accompanied  Columbus  and  other  voyagers.* 

♦Honorio  Philopono  was  a  monk  of  the  Order  of  St.  Benedict.  He  edited  a  book  with 
the  following  title:   "  Voyage  to  the  New  World  of  the  Western  Indies,  given  now  to 


SCENES    ASSOCIATED    WITH    THE    FIRST    VOYAGE. 


67 


277.  Indians  on  the  back  of  a  whale. 

From  Philopono's  Voyage  to  the  New  World  of  the  Western  Indies. 

The  sailors  reported  that  they  had  seen  in  the  waters  of  the  New 
World  fishes  so  large  that  a  caravel  could  be  floated  on  their  backs, 
and  an  altar  could  be  erected  and  mass  said  upon  them.  The  story  was 
re-told  with  variations,  and  finally  the  veracious  priest  Philopono 
related  the  tale  as  an  actual  fact  and  gave  illustrations  of  how  the  cara- 
vels had  been  carried  about  by  whales  and  mass  celebrated  upon  their 
backs.  "  They  that  go  down  to  the  sea  in  ships,"  exclaimed  the  pious 
Philopono,  quoting  Psalm  cvii,  "that  do  business  in  great  waters,  these 
see  the  works  of  the  Lord,  and  His  wonders  in  the  deep." 

278.  Coco  Macaque  stick  cut  near  the  site  of  La  Navidad,  Hayti,  where  a 

fortress  was  erected  by  Columbus  in  1492. 
Loaned  by  William  E.  Curtis,  Washington,  D.  C. 

279.  Cane  of  Coco  Macaque  tipped  with  iron,  cut  near  the  place  where  the 

"  Santa  Maria,"  the  flagship  of  Columbus,  went  to  wreck  Christmas 
Eve,  1492. 

Native  workmanship.  Loaned  by  William  E.  Curtis,  Washington, 
D.  C. 

the  press,  made  by  the  Most  Reverend  Father  Dom  Buell,  of  Catalonia,  Abbott  of  Monser- 
rate,  and  Apostolic  Legate  a  latere  of  the  Holy  See  for  the  whole  America,  or  New 
World,  and  Patriarch  of  the  same,  and  his  associates  or  brethren  of  the  same  Order  of 
St.  Benedict,  sent  by  His  Holiness,  the  Pope  Alexander  VI,  in  1492,  to  preach  the  Gospel 
of  Christ  to  the  barbarous  people  of  those  regions,  written  upon  notes  and  state- 
ments of  several  others,  and  illustrated  with  engravings."    See  original  No.  620. 


68 


THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 


First  mass  in  America. 


281.  Old  saber  or  machete. 

282.  Aboriginal  seat  from  Caicos  Islands,  Bahamas. 

Loaned  by  United  States  National  Museum,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Seats  of  this  character  were  used  by  the  Indians  at  the  time  Columbus 
first  landed  in  the  Bahamas,  and  an  account  is  given  of  their  use  in  Cuba, 
when  he  landed  there:     "The  prime  men  came  out  to  meet  them,  and 
caused  them  to  sit  down  on  seats 
made  of   a  solid  piece  of  wood 
in  the  shape  of  a  beast  with  very 
short  legs  and  the  tail  held  up, 
the  head  before,  with  eyes  and 
ears  of  gold."      Stone  stools  of 
similar  shape  have  been  found 
also  in  the  Bahamas,  in  Puerto 
Rico,  and  Santo  Domingo. 

283.  The  first  mass  said  in  America, 

from  Philopono. 

284.  Caravels  of  the  fifteenth  century. 

From  the  Americae  Retection,  by  Brueghal. 

285.  Terrible  monster  seen  by  Columbus. 

From  Ogilby's  History  of  America. 

286.  Fleet  of  Columbus  at  Lisbon  on  his  homeward  voyage. 

From  De  Bry's  Voyages. 

287.  A  strange  monster  of  the  New  World. 

From  De  Bry's  Voyages. 

288.  Picture  of  the  fleet  of  Columbus. 

From  the  Americae  Retection,  by  Brueghal. 

289.  Shells   picked  up  on   the   beach   when  Columbus   landed   at   Watling. 

290.  Aboriginal  skull  from  Watling  Island. 

Skull  of  a  Lucayan  or  native  of  the  Bahamas.     Found  in  a  cave. 

291.  Indian  "  Celts"  or  "  Thunderbolts." 

Relics  of  the  aborigines  of  the  Bahamas.      Ten  specimens  showing 
various  designs. 

292.  Iron  balls  from  near  Navidad. 

The  site  of  the  fort  erected  by  Columbus,  which  was  destroyed  by  the 
Indians  and  the  garrison  massacred. 

293.  Indian  games,  as  described  by  Columbus. 

From  Oviedo's  History  of  the  Indies. 

294.  Seal   of  the  Board  of  Lady  Managers   for   the   State   of  New   York, 

World's  Columbian  Exposition. 

Representing  the  Indian  woman  holding  the  torch  that  Columbus  saw 
on  the  night  before  the  discovery. 


SCENES    ASSOCIATED    WITH    THE    SECOND    VOYAGE.  69 


SECTION  F.     SCENES  ASSOCIATED  WITH    THE   SECOND  VOY- 
AGE OF  COLUMBUS. 


300.  Fleet  of  Columbus  starting  on  his  second  voyage  from  Cadiz. 

From  Philopono. 

It  was  on  the  25th  of  September,  1493,  at  dawn,  that  Columbus  left  the 
port  of  Cadiz  for  the  second  venture  across  the  ocean  to  the  New  World. 
There  were  three  large  ships,  called  carracks,  which  were  a  species  of 
merchant  vessel,  used  in  the  coasting  trade,  of  about  one  hundred  tons  bur- 
then, and  fourteen  caravels.  This  large  fleet  successfully  crossed  the 
Atlantic  and  made  the  first  land  at  the  Island  of  Guadeloupe,  one  of  the 
Carribee  chain  in  the  southern  West  Indies. 

301.  Bay  near  Capesterre,  Guadeloupe,  where  Columbus  watered  his  ships 

on  the  second  voyage. 

The  first  island  discovered  by  Columbus  on  his  second  voyage,  in  1493, 
was  that  of  Dominico,  but  he  did  not  land  there,  merely  noting  and 
naming  it  as  his  ships  swept  by,  and  keeping  on  to  another  mountainous 
island,  which  he  called  Guadeloupe.  In  a  sheltered  bay,  known  to-day 
as  his  landing  place,  he  anchored  his  vessels,  and  while  the  crews  were 
refreshing  themselves  and  cleansing  their  clothes,  etc.,  he  sent  several 
expeditions  into  the  wild  forests  to  explore,  one  party  being  lost  and  in 
danger  from  the  cannibal  Caribs,  who  were  here,  for  the  first  time,  seen 
and  encountered. 

302.  The  second  arrival  of  Columbus  in  the  new  world. 

From  De  Bry's  Voyages. 

303.  Columbus  at  the  ruins  of  Navidad. 

By  H.  F.  Pluddemann.  Loaned  by  Mrs.  Pluddemann,  Breslau, 
Germany. 

304.  Bluff  above  the  beach  on  which  Columbus  landed  at  Isabella. 

After  reaching  the  coast  of  Hayti,  in  1493,  finding  the  fort  he  had 
erected  at  Navidad  destroyed  and  the  garrison  massacred,  Columbus 
retraced  his  tracks  to  a  point  easterly  from  Navidad  and  Monte  Cristi, 
and  entered  a  small  but  sheltered  harbor  at  a  place  nearer  to  the  gold 
mountains  of  the  interior.  Here  he  disembarked  his  weary  men  and 
munitions  and  provisions,  and  began  the  foundations  of  a  settlement, 
which  he  named  Isabella,  after  his  royal  patroness. 


yo 


THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS, 


305.     Present    appearance    of   the  ruins    of    Isabella,  Santo    Domingo,  first 
civilized  settlement  in  the  New  World. 


307. 


Present  appearance  of  the  site  of  Isabella. 

He  erected  a  church,  a  public  storehouse,  known  as  "The  King's 
House,"  and  a  residence  for  himself,  known  as  the  "Governor's  Pal- 
lace."  These  were  built  of  stone.  Many  private  houses  were  con- 
structed of  wood,  plaster,  reeds,  and  such  other  materials  as  were  found 
on  the  ground.  The  city,  however,  was  abandoned  after  the  discovery 
of  gold  in  the  mountains,  and  fell  into  ruins.  Mr.  F.  A.  Ober,  the 
Commissioner  of  the  Columbian  Exposition  to  the  West  Indies,  made  a 
thorough  investigation  of  the  ruins  and  brought  back  all  of  the  stone 
that  was  left  on  the  grounds. 
Stone  from  church  at  ancient  Isabella. 

Obtained  from  the  ruins  of  the  church  at  Isabella  (now  entirely 
obliterated)  by  G.  J.  Gibbs,  of  Turk's  Island,  some  fifty  years  ago.  Loaned 
by  his  son.  Should  be  compared  with  other  similar  stones  brought  from 
Isabella  by  Mr.  Ober.  The  condition  of  the  ruins  and  the  old  church  at 
time  this  stone  was  taken  are  given  in  a  paper  read  by  Mr.  Gibbs, 
before  the  New  York  Historical  Society,  October  6,  1864,  and  in  the 
Royal  Standard 'of  Turk's  Island,  25th  July,  1891. 


SCENES    ASSOCIATED    WITH    THE    SECOND    VOYAGE. 


306.     Present  appearance  of  the  site  of  the  "  King's  House"  at  Isabella. 
From  a  photograph  by  F.  A.  Ober. 


3". 
312. 

313. 


314. 


Present  appearance  of  the  site  of  the  "  King's  House." 

The  ruins  ot  what  is  thought  to  have  been  the  "  King's  House  "  were 
found  on  the  bluff  overlooking  the  river,  and  a  little  distance  away  were 
other  ruins  that  may  have  been  of  the  church. 
Tiles  from  church  at  old  Isabella. 

The  church   was   dedicated    January   6,  1494,   when  high   mass    was 
celebrated  by  Friar  Boyl  and  twelve  ecclesiastics. 
Pottery  shards  from  ancient  Isabella. 
Chart  of  Isabella. 

Drawn  by  Lieut.  Colvocoresses,  of  the  U.  S.  S.  "  Enterprises." 
Etching  of  Isabella. 

Etching  by  Henry  R.  Blaney,  of  Boston,  Massachusetts,  after  photo- 
graphs obtained  by  Frederick  A.  Ober,  the  Columbian  Commissioner  to  the 
West  Indies,  under  the  Latin-American  department  of  the  Exposition. 
A  pile  of  stones  that  represents  all  that  remains  of  the  first  city  in  the 

New  World. 

In  1891,  the  Columbian  Commissioner  to  the  West  Indies,  Mr.  F.  A. 
Ober,  spent  a  week  at  the  site  of  Isabella.  All  the  cut  stone  that  re- 
mained was  brought  away  and  shipped  to  Chicago,  and  was  taken  from 
the  last  remnants  of  the  old  Church,  the  Mint  and  the  King's  House. 


72 


THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 


309.     Isabella  Bay.     View  from  the  cliff  on  which  the  "  King's  House"  was 
built  in  Isabella. 


View  of  Isabella  Bay.     (From  a  photograph  by  F.  A.  Ober.) 

The  site  of  Isabella  is  now  completely  overgrown  with  wild  vegetation, 
chiefly  the  different  forms  of  cacti,  there  indigenous,  which  renders  explor- 
ation somewhat,  difficult.  But  the  cactus  forms  are  beautiful,  and  the 
glimpses  through  the  openings  in  the  clumps  are  attractive,  of  the  Bajo- 
Bonico  river,  the  bay,  and  the  mountains  beyond. 
310.     Ruins  of  Isabella,  S^n- 

to  Domingo. 

Photographed  b  f 
Ober. 

The  ruins  of  what  is 
known  as  the  "  Royal 
Mint,"  at  Isabella,  are 
just  above  the  bay  on 
the  bluff,  and  there 
are  numerous  frag- 
ments of  pottery 
shards  here,  supposed 
to  be  of  the  crucibles 
in  which  the  gold  from 
the  Cibao  was  Siaelted,  site  of  the  Royal  Mint. 


SCENES    ASSOCIATED    WITH    THE    SECOND    VOYAGE. 


73 


315. 


as  well  as  of  the  roofing  tiles  of  the  buildings.  Much  of  the  structure 
has  tumbled  into  the  sea,  but  the  greater  portion,  doubtless,  has  been 
carried  away  to  Puerto  Plata  for  building  purposes,  in  recent  years. 

Bajo-Bonico,  or  Isabella  river,  Santo  Domingo. 


The  bank  of  Bajo-Bonico  (Isabella)  river. 

The  harbor  of  Isabella  is  small,  and  protected  from  the  ocean  by  a 
line  of  coral  reefs,  the  water  being  shallow,  but  of  sufficient  depth  for 
the  vessels  of  Columbus.  A  river  flows  into  it  called  the  Bajo-Bonico, 
which  is  a  stream  of  some  volume  in  the  rainy  season,  but  runs  nearly 
dry  in  the  summer.  It  rises  in  the  mountains  of  the  interior,  and  large 
quantities  of  mahogany  logs  are  floated  down  its  current  from  the  hills. 
It  now  enters  the  bay  at  a  little  distance  from  the  site  of  Isabella,  but  is 
thought  to  have  flowed  at  the  foot  of  the  bluff  in  the  time  of  Columbus. 
316.     View  of  the  Cibao  mountains,  Santo  Domingo,  with  the  Puerta  de  los 

Caballeros  (1494),  the  gateway  to  the  gold  region. 

One  of  the  reasons,  doubtless,  that  influenced  Columbus  in  selecting 
the  site  he  did  for  Isabella,  was  its  proximity  to  the  gold  region  of  the 
Cibao.  And  the  first  expedition  after  the  town  was  well  under  way,  was 
through  the  mountains  visible  from  the  River  Bajo-Bonico  to  that  distant 
gold  region.  This  expedition  was  one  of  the  romantic  episodes  of  that 
time,  and  the  road  the  officers  of  the  army  opened  through  the  mountain 
pass  is  known  to  this  day  as  the  Puerta  de  los  CaballerQS,  "the  pass  of 
the  gentlemen,"  and  is  seen  in  the  distance  from  Isabella. 


74  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

317.  Handcuffs  from  Vega  Vieja,  Santo  Domingo. 

These  ancient  handcuffs,  locally  called  "esposas"  are  from  the  ruins 
of  the  old  city  founded  by  orders  of  Columbus  in  the  Royal  Vega, 
1495.  Tradition  states  that  they  are  the  identical  handcuffs  used  to 
manacle  the  famous  Carib  chieftain,  Caonabo,  the  bravest  of  the  Indians 
of  Santo  Domingo,  and  the  only  one  who  had  courage  enough  to  oppose 
the  Spaniards.  He  became  so  troublesome  that  Columbus  sent  his  best 
captain,  Alonzo  de  Ojeda,  to  effect  his  capture.  Ojeda  found  Caonabo 
in  the  midst  of  his  wild  followers  in  the  mountains,  and  showing  the 
chief  the  manacles,  which  were^  then  bright  and  shining,  told  him  that 
they  were  valuable  bracelets  sent  by  the  King  of  Spain  as  a  present. 
Caonabo  consented  to  receive  them,  when  Ojeda  slipped  them  upon  his 
wrists,  quickly  mounted  with  him  upon  his  horse,  and  hurried  through  the 
forests  to  Isabella,  where  the  Indian  chief  was  presented  to  Columbus. 
He  was  later  sent  to  Spain,  but  died  on  the  voyage. 

318.  The  first  church  bell  that  rang  in  the  New  World. 

To  the  church  at  Isabella  King        r.-___  ,._ ^ , 

Ferdinand  presented  a  small  bronze 

bell    of     excellent     workmanship,  m^m 

eight  inches  in  height,  and  six  and 

a  half  inches  in  diameter.     It  bears       j 

upon  the  surface  the  image  of  St. 

Michael,  to  whom  the  church  was 

dedicated,   and   the   letter   "F"  in 


„  „^ 


1 
old  Gothic,  in  remembrance  of  the       I  *\ 

donor.     In  1494,  after  the  discov- 


ery  of    gold  in  the    mountains  of 

Cibao,     everything     transportable        l 

was  removed  from  the  old  to  the  Hk-'* 

new  town,  including  the  bell,  which  wpfe-' 

was  hung  in  the  tower  of  the  chapel 

at   La  Vega,  and  remained   there       ;  -  ,_ .  '*'^y?*9&    £W|    .        j 

until  the  place  was  destroyed  by       '._.,# | 

an    earthquake   in    1564,   and   the 

survivors  built  a   third  town  near  The  Isabella  bell. 

by.     More  than  three  hundred  years  after  a  shepherd,  who   was  poking 

around  among  the  ruins,  found  in  a  mass  of  vines  that  covered  the  old 

church  this  same  bell,  which  had  thus  been  preserved  under  the  masses 

of  masonry  and    earth  that   had  been  overturned    by   the   convulsion. 

The  bell  was  taken  to  Santo    Domingo,  and  has  since  been  kept  as  a 

venerated  relic  in  a  church  there.     Through  the  kindness  of  Senor  Don 


SCENES    ASSOCIATED    WITH    THE    SECOND    VOYAGE.  75 

Manual  J.  Galvan,  the  Dominican  Minister  to  the  United  States,  it  was 
secured  for  the  historical  collection  at  the  Exposition.  It  is  called  the 
"Bell  of  the  Fig  Tree,"  and  considered  one  of  the  most  precious  relics  of 
the  early  times  of  Santo  Domingo,  as  it  was  the  first  bell  ever  rung  in 
the  New  World. 

When  Senor  Galvan  was  in  Washington  in  1891,  he  was  requested  by 
Mr.  William  E.  Curtis,  in  charge  of  the  Latin-American  department  of 
the  Exposition,  to  use  his  efforts  in  obtaining  the  loan  of  this  historic 
bell.  This  he  did,  as  the  following  extract  from  his  letter  to  Senor 
Bellini  will  show: 

Let  us  pass  to  matters  of  patriotic  interest :  Mr.  William  E.  Curtis,  charged  with 
the  direction  of  the  Latin-American  department  of  the  Exposition  at  Chicago,  learn- 
ing through  me  of  the  "  Bell  of  the  Fig  Tree,"  which  was  recovered  from  the  bell 
tower  of  the  Church  of  Conception  de  la  Vega,  where  it  was  brought  to  sight  by  the 
action  of  the  fig  tree,  which  raised  it  in  its  branches,  desires  to  secure  it  for  exhibition 
as  a  relic  of  the  early  years  of  Santo  Domingo.  You  are  aware  that  the  said  bell  was 
presented  to  me  by  the  discoverer  (now  deceased),  and  that  I  gave  it  to  your  uncle, 
Father  Bellini  (whom  God  has  now  with  him).  All  these  particulars  are  to  be  found 
in  the  papers  of  the  time— see  La  "Cronica,"  Santo  Domingo,  15th  October,  1886.  Mr. 
Curtis,  interested  in  our  republic,  desires  that  it  occupy  the  distinguished  place  in  the 
Exposition  which  properly  belongs  to  it  by  reason  of  its  historic  importance,  and  has 
applied  to  me  to  assist  him  in  securing  the  bell  in  question  as  a  loan.  ■  1  participate  in 
his  desire,  and  transmit  it  to  you.  Mr.  Ober,  the  special  commissioner  of  the  Exposi- 
tion for  the  Antilles,  will  place  this  letter  in  your  hands,  and  1  recommend  him  warmly 
to  your  attentions,  doubting  not  that  you  will  confide  to  his  care  the  bell  referred  to, 
with  a  receipt,  and  promise  to  return  it — as  you  can  do,  with  all  confidence,  in  view 
of  the  official  and  personal  character  ot  Messrs.  Curtis  and  Ober,  who  will  pledge 
themselves  to  return  this,  so  precious  a  relic. 

Believe  me,  sincerely  your  very  faithful  friend  and  servant, 

M.  de  J.  GALVAN. 

Armed  with  this  letter,  which  was  in  itself  a  voucher  for  the  authen- 
ticity of  the  bell,  the  commissioner  was  placed  in  possession  of  the 
relic  by  Senor  Bellini,  and  after  giving  the  necessary  assurances  for  its 
safety,  sent  it  to  the  United  States. 

319.  Old  spurs  from  Santo  Domingo. 

Old  spurs,  sometimes  still  used  in  the  island,  but  not  of  the  most 
ancient  type.  From  the  city  of  Santiago  de  los  Caballeros,  interior  of 
Santo  Domingo. 

320.  Ancient  Hawksbells,  from  Santo  Domingo. 

"  Hawksbell,"  Campanita  "  Cascabell  ;"  by  these  names  were  known 
the  small  bells  brought  over  by  Columbus  and  the  early  Spaniards,  for 
traffic  with  the  natives.  This  was  found  in  the  ruins  of  a  house  in  Vega 
Vieja,  destroyed  by  the  earthquake  of  1564.  It  is  regarded  as  a  most 
important  "  find, "  because  of  its  association  with  the  conquistadores  in 
their  intercourse  with  the  Indians — one  of   the  original  "hawksbells, " 


j6  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

brought  here  by  the  first  Spaniards  to  barter  for  gold,  and  which  they 
were  so  desirous  to  obtain  that  they  would  exchange  for  them 
everything  they  possessed.  The  Indians  valued  them  for  the  music 
they  made,  when  fastened  to  their  wrists  or  ankles,  having  previously 
had  nothing  but  shells,  bones  and  stones.  When  Columbus  first  began 
the  enslavement  of  the  Indians,  he  made  each  one  bring  in,  as  his  share 
of  tribute,  a  hawksbell  full  of  gold  dust  every  month. 

321.     Fragment  of  chain  armor  from  Isabella. 

Fragment  of  chain  armor  found  in  the  old  city  of  Isabella  by  a  com- 
mission from  Puerta  Plata  and  loaned  by  General  Segundo  Imbert. 

322-323.     Two  old  bells,  Santo  Domingo. 

One  of  these  bells  was  recovered  from  the  ruins  of  Jacagua,  and  once 
hung  in  the  bell-tower  of  the  church.  It  was  evidently  cast  in  the  island, 
being  of  rude  workmanship  and  rough.  As  the  church  was  destroyed  in 
1564,  and  the  ruins  have  not  been  occupied  since,  the  bell  must  have 
been  cast  before  that  date,  and  hence  is  one  of  the  oldest  in  America— 
probably  the  most  ancient  work  of  native  artisans  (of  the  kind)  to  be 
found. 

The  bronze  bell  was  found  in  an  old  church  near  La  Vega  and  is  quite 
ancient.     Presented  by  Mr.  H.  R.  A.  Griesa,  Sanchez,  Santo  Domingo. 

324.  Articles  from  Jacagua,  Santo  Domingo. 

Presented  by  Senor  Don  Ricardo  Ovies. 

Jacagua,  or  Old  Santiago,  was  founded  by  Columbus  in  1494,  and 
called  Magdalena,  but  was  destroyed  by  an  earthquake  in  1564.  The 
town  had  a  church  and  public  buildings  and  was,  at  the  time  of  its 
destruction,  a  thriving  settlement.  The  church  has  recently  been  exca- 
vated at  the  expense  of  the  Latin-American  department  of  the  Ex- 
position, and  many  minor  articles  of  antiquity  discovered  of  the  times  in 
which  it  was  built.  The  ruins  are  about  four  miles  distant  from  the  city 
of  Santiago,  the  present  chief  city  of  the  province  of  the  same  name,  to 
which  the  inhabitants  of  Jacagua  removed  after  the  loss  of  their  houses. 
The  proprietor,  Senor  Don  Ricardo  Ovies,  is  intelligent  and  hospitable, 
speaks  English  fluently,  and  aided  the  commissioner  of  the  Exposition 
in  his  excavations,  furnishing  laborers  and  guidance  and  placing  the  entire 
property  at  his  disposal.  Through  him  many  interesting  relics  were  re- 
covered which  throw  light  upon  the  early  history  of  the  country. 

325.  Fragments  of  horse-shoes  used  by  the  caballeros  of  the  time  of  Colum- 

bus.    Mostly  found  at  Vega  Vieja,  Santo  Tomas  and  Jacagua. 

The  horses  of  modern  times  in  these  islands  are  not  shod.  The  Cibao 
country,  of  Santo  Domingo,  of  which  La  Vega  and  Santiago  are  the  chief 
towns,  and  from  which  most  of  the  antiquities  recovered  in  the  island 


SCENES    ASSOCIATED    WITH    THE    SECOND    VOYAGE.  JJ 

have  been  obtained,  is  the  interior  and  is  best  reached  from  the  port  of 
Sanchez,  at  the  head  of  the  Bay  of  Samana.     Thence  a  railroad  runs  as 
far  as  La  Vega,  a  distance  of  sixty-four  miles,  when  it  is  some  twenty 
miles  farther  to  Santiago. 
326.     Santiago,  Santo   Domingo,   near  where  the  first   gold  was   found  by 

Columbus. 

The  first  gold  found  by  the  Spaniards  in  America  came  from  the  river 
Yaqui,  north  coast  of  Santo  Domingo,  which  was  called  by  Columbus  the 
Rio  del  Oro,  or  River  of  Gold,  from  the  richness  of  its  sands.  It  is  said 
that  golden  particles  adhered  to  the  hoops  of  the  water-casks,  when  the 
sailors  took  water  at  the  mouth  of  the  river.  The  richest  deposits  of 
gold,  or  rather  the  largest  nuggets,  were  found  in  tributaries  of  the 
Yaqui,  such  as  the  Yanico,  on  the  bank  of  which  the  fort,  for  the  defense 
of  the  gold  region,  called  Santo  Tomas,  was  built,  and  garrisoned  by  fifty 
men. 
327a.     Ancient  articles  from  Santo  Tomas,  Santo  Domingo. 

Santo  Tomas  was  the  first  fort  erected  in  the  interior  of  Santo 
Domingo,  and  guarded  the  gold  region  of  the  famous  Cibao.  The  site 
of  the  fortress  was  traced  by  the  Columbian  commissioner,  1892,  and 
photographed.  At  the  base  of  the  hill,  on  which  the  fortress  was  built, 
runs  a  stream,  the  sands  and  gravel  of  which  contained  gold  at  the  time 
the  Spaniards  came,  and  even  to-day  some  gold  is  obtained  by  the  peo- 
ple living  there. 
327b.     An  old  Indian  jug,  an  "arzon,"  or  saddle-peak,  and  a  portion  of  a 

"coa"  or  hoe. 

Found  at  Santo  Tomas  de  Janico,  mountains  of  Santo  Domingo.  It  is 
from  four  to  six  hours'  ride  into  the  mountain  from  Santiago.  It  was 
visited  by  the  Columbian  commissioner,  who  found  traces  of  the  ancient 
fortress,  and  gold  from  the  river  above  which  it  was  built.  There  is  a 
little  hamlet  near,  in  charge  of  a  hospitable  priest. 
329.     Ancient  cannon  called  a  "lombard,"  from  the  old  fort,  Concepcion  de  la 

Vega. 

The  fortress  itself  is  the  only  structure  of  ancient  Concepcion  suffi- 
ciently preserved  to  indicate  its  original  outline.  It  was  intended  to 
keep  in  subjection  the  Indians  of  Santo  Domingo.  This  lombard  came 
from  the  fort,  and  has  been  used  for  many  years  in  the  firing  of  salutes 
in  honor  of  the  virgin  of  Santo  Cerro.  Obtained  for  the  Exposition 
through  the  good  offices  of  Padre  R.  Vallejo. 
328.     Old  fortress  of  Concepcion  de  la  Vega. 

Erected  by  the  companions  of  Columbus,    1494.      Destroyed   by   an 
earthquake,  1564. 


yS  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 


Ruins  of  the  fortress  Concepcion  de  la  Vega. 

This  old  fort  is  the  veritable  "Concepcion  de  la  Vega,"  built  by  orders 
of  Columbus  in  1494,  shortly  before,  or  soon  after  the  first  great 
victory  over  the  Indians  of  the  Royal  Vega.  It  lies  some  six  miles  from 
the  present  town  of  La  Vega,  and  there  yet  remains  enough  to  show  the 
original  plan,  though  it  is  entirely  in  ruins  except  the  northeast  angle, 
where  the  circular  bastion  is  nearly  perfect.  Here  the  walls  are  about 
ten  feet  high,  six  feet  thick,  with  a  space  inside  of  sixteen  feet.  The  old 
fort  was  probably  about  two  hundred  feet  square,  built  of  brick,  and  with 
circular  bastions  at  the  four  corners. 
330.     Ancient  spur,  "acicate,"  Santo  Domingo. 

The  oldest  and  most  primitive  type  of  spur  found  in  Spanish  America. 
Loaned  by  General  Segundo  Imbert,  Puerto  Plata,  Santo  Domingo. 

333.     Old  Spanish  spur,  Santo  Domingo. 

This  spur,  with  its  prong  over  three  inches  in  length,  is  a  most  inter- 
esting relic  of  the  conquistadores.  It  is  such  as  the  crusaders  wore,  and 
such  as  the  knights  of  the  tourney  used,  when,  to  show  their  devotion  to 
their  lady-loves,  they  killed  their  horses  at  their  feet.  It  is  a  tradition 
that  these  spurs,  with  their  long  straight  prongs,  were  used  for  similar 
purposes,  and  when  a  Spaniard  became  enamored  of  an  Indian  maiden, 
which  was  quite  frequently,  he  bestrode  his  favorite  horse  buckled  on  a 
pair  of   these  spurs,  or   "acicates"   and   galloped  to  the  hut  of  his  inam- 


SCENES    ASSOCIATED    WITH    THE    SECOND    VOYAGE. 


79 


331. 


332. 


X 


334. 


orata.     Then,   as  his  flame  appeared,  he   drove   the  acicates  deep  into 
the  sides  of  the  horse  which  fell  dead  at  her  feet. 

Bronze  stirrups,  spur,  etc.,   from 
Santo  Domingo. 

The  stirrup  and  spur  are  of 
bronze  and  of  the  finest  work- 
manship, having  been  used  by 
some  caballero  of  rank.  Recovered 
from  the  ruins  of  Vega  Vieja,  and 
loaned  by  the  Sociedad  Progresista, 
of  La  Vega,  Santo  Domingo.  Ob- 
tained through  the  courtesy  of  Mr. 
T.  McLellan,  Sanchez,  Santo  Do- 
mingo. 


Old  Toledo  blades  from  Santiago, 
Santo  Domingo. 

Santiago  de  los  Caballeros,  in 
the  interior  of  Santo  Domingo,  was 
settled  mainly  by  Hidalgos,  Span- 


Ancient  stirrup. 


iards  of  noble  blood,  who  obtained  permission  from  the  King  of  Spain 
to  affix  this  distinguished  appellation,  de  los  Caballeros — of  the  gentle- 
men— to  their  city.  Hence,  there  are  yet  resident  there  the  descendants 
of  some  of  the  conquistadores,  who  have  retained  at  least  a  portion  of 
the  arms  and  martial  equipment  of  their  ancestors,  and  from  them  were 
obtained  the  old  Toledos,  here  exhibited.  The  blades  are  vouched  for 
as  genuine  from  Toledo  in  Spain,  which  has  produced  as  famous  work 
as  Damascus,  and  which  were  carried  by  the  conquerors  of  America 
and  did  valiant  service  against  the  Indians.  They  are  not  numerous, 
and  the  most  of  them  that  can  be  found  are  supplied  with  new  hilts,  of 
rude  and  native  workmanship,  making  them  unique  and  valuable. 

Lance  head  from  the  interior  of  Santo  Domingo. 

Lance  head  once  belonging  to  one  of  the  conquistadores,  and  found  in 
the  ruins  of  Vega  Vieja. 

The  present  town  of  La  Vega  has  no  ruins  or  antiquities,  being  a  com- 
mercial center,  near  the  banks  of  the  river  Camu.  About  four  miles  be- 
yond is  the.  Santo  Cerro,  or  Holy  Hill,  with  a  modern  church,  and  a  mile 
or  so  farther  the  ruined  city  of  Vega  Vieja,  or  Old  Vega,  destroyed  by 
earthquake  over  three  hundred  years  ago.  Many  minor  antiquities 
pertaining  to  the  period  of  the  conquest  have  been  found  there,  and 
are  still  unearthed. 


80  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

335-     Fight  between  Spaniards  and  Indians. 

Oil  painting  by  H.  F.  Fluddemann.  Loaned  by  Professor  Ehr- 
hardt,  Wolfenbuttel,  Germany. 

336.  Antiquities  from  Vega  Vieja,  Santo  Domingo. 

The  city  of  Concepcion  de  la  Vega,  or  Vega  Vieja,  as  it  is  now  called 
by  the  natives,  was  completely  destroyed  by  an  earthquake  in  1564.  It 
was  at  that  time  an  important  place,  beautifully  situated,  and  as  all  the 
gold  of  the  Cibao  was  brought  there  to  be  refined,  previous  to  being  sent 
to  Spain,  it  has  been  thought  that  a  great  deal  of  treasure  has  been 
buried  in  the  ruins.  People  have  been  digging  for  over  three  hundred 
years,  not  only  for  treasure,  but  for  the  brick  and  stone  as  building  ma- 
terial. The  old  Spanish  bricks  are  better  than  any  now  to  be  obtained, 
and  the  cut  stone  is  excellent.  The  consequence  is  that  the  old  city  is 
nearly  obliterated,  only  the  fortress  retaining  any  semblance  of  its  origi- 
nal shape. 

A  portion  of  copper  vessel,  probably  base  of  candlestick,  is  from  the 
old  church  of  Vega  Vieja,  now  in  ruins  from  the  great  earthquake  of 
1564.     Presented  by  Padre  R.  M.  Vallejo. 

337.  Stone  from  the  ruins  of  Vega  Vieja  with  ring. 

Stone  of  ovoidal  shape,  the  use  of  which  is  a  matter  of  conjecture.  By 
some  said  to  have  hung  in  the  tower  of  the  church  at  Vega  Vieja,  ruined 
by  eartho/uake,  1564,  and  by  others  to  have  served  as  a  weight  upon 
prisoners  in  irons. 

338.  Ancient  Moorish  tiles,  Santo  Domingo. 

Found  in  the  ruins  of  Vega  Vieja,  but  brought  from  old  Spain  by  the 
settlers  and  used  in  the  adornment  of  the  church.  They  are  the  old 
tiles  called  by  the  Spaniards  "Azulejos,"  probably  not  of  Moorish  work- 
manship, but  Spanish,  of  the  first  part  of  the  sixteenth  century. 

339.  Old  Poniard,  Santo  Domingo. 

Found  in  the  ruins  of  Vega  Vieja,  and  said  to  have  belonged  to  a 
noted  priest,  who  used  it  in  defending  his  life  from  the  Indians. 

340.  Perforated  iron  plate,  Santo  Domingo. 

According  to  local  tradition,  this  plate  was  used  in  sifting  sands  con- 
taining gold  from  the  Rio  Verde,  Santo  Domingo.  The  Rio  Verde,  and 
other  rivers  of  the  Cibao  region,  yield  gold  from  their  sands  to-day,  and 
many  people  subsist  from  the  gold  they  wash  from  the  sands  merely 
with  wooden  bowls  or  calabashes.  The  old  mines  are  not  worked,  but  the 
efforts  of  the  natives  are  confined  to  the  river  sands.  In  the  city  of 
Santiago  are  goldsmiths  who  sometimes  have  native  gold  for  sale,  and 
nuggets  are  stWl  found  weighing  above  an  ounce,  sometimes  several 
ounces  in  weight. 


SCENES    ASSOCIATED    WITH    THE    SECOND    VOYAGE. 


81 


342. 


343. 


344- 


341.     A  cross  from  La  Vega,  Santo  Domingo. 

Mr.  Ober,  the  Commissioner  for  the  World's 
Columbian  Exposition  to  the  West  Indies,  ob- 
tained from  the  ruins  of  Concepcion  de  la  Vega 
an  iron  cross  of  antique  and  quaint  design,  which 
was  probably  contemporary  with  Columbus,  and 
hung  in  the  first  church  erected  in  America.  It  is 
sixteen  and  a  half  inches  high,  of  open  work,  and 
the  design  represents  a  vine  with  leaves  and  fruit 
hanging  from  the  tree  and  the  arms  of  the  cross. 

Loaned  by  the  cure  of  Santo  Cerro. 

Ruins  of  the  second  church  erected  in  the  New 

World  at  Concepcion  de  la  Vega.  La  Vega  cross. 

Santo  Cerro  Church  and  Tree  of  Columbus. 

Here  mass  was  sung  after  a  great  victory  over  the  Indians,  1494. 
Wood  from  the  Tree  of  Columbus,  Santo  Cerro. 

At  Santo  Cerro,  the  holy  hill  of  Santo  Domingo,  may  be  seen  an 
ancient  tree,  called  by  the  natives  the  "  Nispero  de  Colon,"  beneath 
which,  tradition  states,  Columbus  stood  while  directing  the  operations  of 
his  army  against  the  Indians  in  1494,  when  the  great  victory  then  gained 
decided  their  fate  forever.  It  is  regarded  as  a  sacred  relic,  and  beneath 
it  (it  is  said)  the  first  mass  was  celebrated  after  the  victory.  A  cross 
once  stood  here,  upon  which  the  Virgin  (it  is  said)  once  descended,  and 
which  has  since  been  distributed  among  the  churches  of  the  island 
in  fragments,  which  are  sacredly  preserved  as  relics. 

345.  Old  bell  from  Santo  Cerro,  the  "  Holy  Hill,"  in  the  interior  of  the  island. 

Found  in  a  corner  of  the  Chapel  of  the  Virgin,  and  from  its  appear- 
ance might  be  of  more  ancient  date  than  the  figures  on  its  lip  (1777) 
would  indicate.  It  is  interesting,  not  only  from  its  date  and  appear- 
ance of  antiquity,  but  from  having  hung  in  the  tower  of  Santo  Do- 
mingo's most  sacred  shrine. 

Presented  by  the  priest  in  charge,  Rev.  Padre  R.  Vallejo,  in  exchange 
for  a  new  bell,  which  now  hangs  in  the  tower  of  the  church. 

346.  Church  of  Santo  Cerro,  Santo  Domingo. 

Some  five  miles  from  the  town  of  La  Vega,  in  the  interior  of  Santa 
Domingo,  is  the  hill  of  Santo  Cerro,  on  the  summit  of  which  is  a  hand- 
some chapel,  recently  completed,  and  which  contains  a  very  old  and 
revered  image  of  the  Virgin.  The  chapel  is  near  the  site  of  the  first 
cross  erected  here  by  Columbus  to  commemorate  a  great  victory  over 
the  Indians,  and  over  a  "holy  well "  to  which  have  been  ascribed  mirac- 


82 


THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 


uious  virtues.  In  the  bell  tower  to-day  hangs  a  small  bell  presented  by 
the  Latin-American  department  of  the  Exposition  in  exchange  for  an 
ancient  bell  that  once  hung  there.  In  his  will  Columbus  directed  his 
son  Diego,  when  his  estates  yielded  a  sufficient  revenue  for  the  purpose, 
to  erect  a  chapel  on  the  sacred  hill  of  the  "  Royal  Plain  "  of  Santo  Do- 
mingo where  masses  might  be  said  daily  for  the  repose  of  the  souls  of 
himself  and  his  relatives.  A  church  was  erected  at  this  place  shortly 
after,  but  it  is  not  known  that  Diego  contributed  anything  toward  the 
expense. 

347.     Santo  Cerro,  Santo  Domingo.     General  view  of  the  village. 

The  holy  hill,  or  Santo  Cerro,  lies 
about  five  miles  distant  from  La  Vega, 
which  is  reached  by  the  Samana  rail- 
road   from   the    Bay  of  Samana.      It 
is   a   famous 
place  in  the 
annals  of  the 
island,     and 
seldom     can 
a  Dominican 
be  found  who 
has     not     at 
some       time 

seen   it.    The  Church  and  village  of  Santo  Cerro. 

village  here  is  composed  of  the  priest's  house  and  a  single  row  of  mis- 
erable thatched  huts,  occupied  by  the  people  who  inake'a  living  selling 
relics  and  attending  upon  the  church,  which  contains  a  revered  image 
of  the  Virgin. 

348.  Bajo-Bonico,  or  River  Isabella,  where  it  flows  into  the  bay. 

349.  Bay  of  Santa  Gloria,  Jamaica. 

In  May,  1494,  on  his  second  voyage,  Columbus  discovered  the  beautiful 
coast  of  Jamaica,  finally  anchoring  in  the  spacious  harbor  of  St.  Ann's 
Bay,  which  he  named  Santa  Gloria.  At  this  same  place,  on  his  fourth 
voyage,  he  ran  his  vessels  ashore  to  prevent  their  sinking,  and  passed 
many  months  there  before  he  was  rescued. 

350.  North  coast  beach  at  St.  Ann's.     The  Santa  Gloria  of  Columbus. 

"  St.  Ann's  is  considered  the  finest  parish  on  the  north  coast,"  says  an 
old  writer.  "Earth  has  nothing  more  lovely  than  the  pastures  and 
pimento  groves  of  St.  Ann,  nothing  more  enchanting  than  its  hills  and 
vales,  delicious  in  verdure  and  redolent  with  the  fragrance  of  spices. 


SCENES    ASSOCIATED    WITH    THE    SECOND    VOYAGE.  83 

Embellished  with  wood  and  water  from  the  deep  forests  whence  the 
streams  descend  to  the  ocean  in  beautiful  falls,  the  blue  haze  of  the  air 
blends  and  harmonizes  all  into  beauty." 

351.  Dry  Harbor,  Jamaica. 

Dry  Harbor,  called  by  the  first  discoverers  Puerto  Bueno,  lies  to  the 
west  of  St.  Ann's,  and  was  visited  by  Columbus.  Near  this  harbor  is  a 
cave  of  great  length  with  two  long  galleries  hung  with  stalactites  of 
much  beauty.  It  was  at  the  end  of  his  fourth  and  last  voyage  that 
Columbus,  driven  thither  by  a  storm,  entered  the  port  of  Puerto  Bueno, 
but  finding  no  water  here  stood  eastward  to  the  present  harbor  of  St. 
Ann's. 

352.  Columbus  trading  with  the  Indians. 

Photograph  of  a  Beauvais  tapestry  owned  by  Mrs.  John  W.  Mackay, 
London,  England. 

353.  The  crosses  on  Santo  Cerro,  the  sacred  hill  of  Columbus. 

354.  Dish  used  in  gold-washing,  Santo  Domingo. 

Although  the  early  Spaniards  nearly  exhausted  the  river-sands  and 
superficial  auriferous  deposits,  yet  the  great  source  of  supply  has  never 
been  found,  or  if  found  has  never  been  worked,  and  the  rivers  and 
streams  of  the  interior  still  bring  down  much  gold,  especially  after  heavy 
rams.  The  people  living  along  the  river  banks  gain  a  living  by  washing 
out  the  sands,  using  the  primitive  dishes  here  shown,  sometimes  making 
several  dollars  a  day,  but  never  working  beyond  what  their  necessities 
demand,  and  leaving  off  when  they  get  enough  to  supply  their  immedi- 
ate wants. 

355.  Terra   cotta   figulines   from   Vega   Vieja,   interior  of  Santo  Domingo. 

Pre.-ented  by  Sefior  Don  Natalio  Redondo,  deputy  to  the  National 
Congress  of  the  island. 

This  grotesque  figure  has  the  composite  character  of  a  bird  and  man, 
with  quaint  expressive  face  and  big  nose  and  ears.  It  may  have  served 
as  a  whistle,  but  probably  was  one  of  the  "  Zemes,"  or  household  gods, 
mentioned  by  the  historians,  and  is  thought  to  have  belonged  to 
Caonobo,  the  chief  of  the  mountains,  who  was  captured  by  Alonzo  de 
Ojeda,  and  died  a  prisoner  on  the  voyage  to  Spain. 

356.  Figulines  from  Santo  Domingo. 

Presented  by  T.  Stalkowski,  Sanchez,  Santo  Domingo. 

Similar  to  the  clay  heads  so  abundant  in  Mexico,  especially  in  the 
fields  about  San  Juan  Teotihuacan,  and  doubtless  served  a  similar  pur- 
pose as  offerings  to  the  gods,  or  as  household  images.  Heads  of  the 
same  type  are  found  all  over  the  island,  but  not  in  the  quantities  that 
Mexico  has  produced. 


84  THE*  RELICS   OF    COLUMBUS. 

357.  Gum  from  the  great  gommier  trees  from  the  Island  of  Dominica,  West 

Indies. 

This  gum  is  used  in  the  manufacture  of  torches  by  the  natives  of  the 
islands,  and  also  burnt  in  the  churches  as  incense,  the  odor  being  very- 
fragrant.  • 

358.  Guiros  from  Santo  Domingo. 

Presented  by  Mr.  Alexander  Bass,  of  Santo  Domingo  city. 

Guiros  are  primitive  musical  instruments,  being  merely  native  gourds, 
which  are  much  used  at  fandangoes  and  common  dances  to  accentuate 
the  music  of  violin  and  guitar  throughout  the  West  Indies. 

359.  Indian  mortar  and  pestle,  Santo  Domingo. 

A  very  ancient  mortar  and  pestle,  recovered  from  the  interior  of  Santo 
Domingo,  used  by  the  aborigines  at  the  time  Columbus  was  there  and 
served  to  grind  their  maize  and  cassava.  The  pestle  has  a  head  carved 
on  it,  this  being  very  commonly  found  on  articles  of  this  description. 
The  type  of  mortar  is  a  rare  one,  and  may  have  served  some  special  use, 
as  the  grinding  of  cacao,  being  flat,  with  a  rim  and  of  unusual  shape. 

Loaned  by  the  cure  of  La  Vega,  and  to  be  returned  through  the  good, 
offices  of  T.  McLellan,  Esq.,  Sanchez,  Santo  Domingo. 

360.  Old  wooden  image  from  Isabella. 

Loaned  by  the  National  Museum,  Washington. 

Some  years  ago  a  number  of  wooden  images  were  found  in  a  cave 
near  the  site  of  Isabella,  the  first  town  in  the  New  World,  and  purchased 
by  Mr.  Gabb,  who  presented  them  to  the  Smithsonian  Institution.  They 
were  discovered  by  an  old  negro,  grinning  at  him  from  the  mouth  of  a 
cave  where  they  had'  rested  probably  nearly  four  hundred  years. 

361.  Tambols,  or  native   drums,  used  by   negroes    of  Santo  Domingo  and 

Domingo  and  other  islands  in  their  fandangoes  and  other  dances. 

This  primitive  drum,  made  from  a  hollowed  log,  is  the  most  ancient 
type  in  use,  and  was.  doubtless  used  by  the  Indians  of  these  islands, 
although  the  same  kind  is  in  use  in  Africa,  and  was  probably  brought 
with  the  negroes  in  slave  ships  in  early  times. 

362.  Mahogany  paddle  from  Santo  Domingo. 

Many  of  the  paddles  of  the  canoes  in  common  use  in  Santo  Domingo 
are  made  of  mahogany,  that  wood  being  abundant  on  the  banks  of  the 
rivers  and  the  hills  near.  The  paddles  are  primitive,  broad  and  clumsy 
and  remind  one  of  the  description  given  by  Columbus  in  his  journal — 
that  they  resembled  the  "  peel  of  a  baker."  This  one  came  from  the 
headwaters  of  the  River  Ozama. 

363.  Native  canoes  from  Santo  Domingo. 

Made  at  the  headwaters  of  the  Ozama  river  after  the  type  in  use 
at  the  time  of  the  first  visits  of  the  Spaniards.     The  same  great  trees  are 


SCENES   ASSOCIATED   WITH    THE    SECOND   VOYAGE.  85 

still  used,  such  as  the  ceiba  or  silk  cotton,  although,  they  are  getting 
scarce,  and  we  do  not  find  such  large  canoes  as  were  seen  in  the  time  of 
Columbus.  Hundreds  of  these  canoes  come  down  the  Ozama  river 
every  day  with  charcoal,  sugar-cane,  Guinea  grass,  maize  fodder,  etc.,  to 
the  water  market  of  Santo  Domingo. 

364.  Bronze  and  brass  objects  from  Vega  Vieja,  Santo  Domingo. 

365.  Fragments  of  ancient  horse-shoes  used  on   the   horses   of  Columbus' 

men. 

Found  in  the  ruins. 

366.  Gold  dust  and  flakes  from  Santo  Domingo. 

The  river  Yanice,  or  Janico,  is  a  tributary  of  the  Yaqui,  and  on  its 
banks  was  the  first  fort  built  by  the  Spaniards  in  the  interior  of  Santo 
Domingo.  It  was  called  Santo  Tomas,  the  name  of  the  river  being 
Indian — aboriginal.  It  is  about  the  center  of  the  ancient  gold  region, 
and  gold  is  found  there  in  small  quantities  at  the  present  time,  a  nugget 
being  procured  by  the  commissioner  weighing  half  an  ounce,  and  one 
seen  by  him  that  weighed  five  ounces.  These  flakes  were  washed  out 
by  the  people  living  there  by  means  of  shallow  wooden  dishes  in  primi- 
tive manner. 

367.  Altar  of  old  church  at   Santo   Cerro  with  a  miraculous  image   of  the 

Virgin. 

368.  The   first   map   of    Santo    Domingo,    said    to    have    been    drawn    by 

Columbus. 

Original  in  the  Columbina  library,  Seville. 

369.  Indian  houses  and  hammock  as  described  by  Columbus. 

From  Oviedo's  History. 


86 


THE    RELICS    OE    COLUMBUS. 


SECTION  G. 


SCENES  ASSOCIATED  WITH  THE  THIRD  VOYAGE 
OF  COLUMBUS. 


370.     View  of  Boca  del  Drago,  Trinidad,  West  Indies. 

On  the  31st  of  July,  1498,  while  on  his  third  voyage  westward,  three 
sharp  mountain  peaks  were  sighted  rising  from  a  fertile  island  to  which 
Columbus  gave  the  name  of  La  Trinidad,  in  honor  of  the  Trinity,  and  it 
is  still  known  by  that  title.  Here  he  met  with  a  strange  phenomenon  in 
the  form  of  a  raging  surge  of  muddy  water,  which  nearly  swamped  his 
vessels.  Finding  that  it  was  fresh,  he  reasoned  to  a  correct  conclusion 
that  it  came  from  a  river  greater  than  he  had  ever  known  or  dreamed  of 
—the  Orinoco. 

Columbus  crossed  the  Boca  del  Drago  (the  mouth  of  the  Dragon),  the 
strait  which  divides  the  island  of  Trinidad  from  the  continent,  five  days 
later,  and  then  for  the  first  time  set  foot  upon  the  continent  of  South 
America,  but  he  did  not  know  that  it  was  terra  firma.  Had  he  continued 
his  cruise  along  the  coast  he  might  have  given  the  newly-discovered  world 
his  name,  but  he  left  the  exploration  of  that  territory  for  Americus  Ves- 
pucius  and  other  voyagers  who  followed  him. 

Columbus  was  very  ill;  his  'eyes  were  almost  sightless  from  lack  of 
sleep  and  exposure  to  the  reflection  of  the  tropical  sun  upon  the  sea,  and 
he  was  tortured  with  the  cruel  agonies  of  the  gout,  so  he  turned  the  bows 
of  his  vessels  northward. 
37ic     An  anchor  found  on  the  coast  of  Trinidad. 

Loaned  by  Mr.  Augustino  of  Trinidad. 

On  the  4th  of  August,  1498,  Columbus  anchored 
off  the  southwestern  extremity  of  the  island  of 
Trinidad.  Late  at  night  he  saw  a  wall  of  water 
approaching  the  fleet  from  the  south.  His  own 
vessel  was  lifted  up  so  high  by  the  incoming  waves 
that  he  feared  to  be  submerged  or  dashed  on  shore, 
while  the  cable  of  one  of  the  other  ships  parted 
under  the  strain  to  which  it  was  subjected,  carrying 
away  the  anchor  by  which  the  vessel  was  held. 
Many  years  ago,  while  some  laborers  were  digging 
a  deep  trench  upon  a  cocoanut  estate  near  Icaques, 
where  this  accident  occurred,  about  three  hundred  Trinidad  anchor, 

and  fifty  feet  from  the  sea,  they  struck  a  bit  of  iron,  which,  upon  being 
dugout,  proved  to  be  an  anchor  of  antiquated  pattern.   The  land  on  this 


SCENES    ASSOCIATED    WITH    THE    THIRD    VOYAGE.  87 

part  of  the  island  has  been  encroaching  upon  the  sea  for  many  years,  and 
it  is  believed  that  the  spot  where  the  anchor  was  found  was  covered  by 
water  at  the  time  of  Columbus. 

372.  Landing  of  Columbus  at  Pearl  Island. 

From  De  Bry's  Voyages. 

Columbus  discovered  the  Pearl  Islands  August  15,  1498,  sailing  from 
the  Gulf  of  Paria,  and  on  approaching  the  small  island  of  Cubagua,  he 
saw  Indians  fishing  for  pearls.  The  pearls  were  so  abundant  and  so 
little  valued  by  the  Indians,  that  Columbus  obtained  over  three  pounds 
of  them,  in  exchange  for  broken  crockery  and  such  worthless  stuff. 
Some  of  these  were  very  large  and  were  sent  to  the  Spanish  sovereigns 
as  specimens.  Columbus  at  that  time  was  nearly  blind,  and  was  com- 
pelled to  leave  this  promising  coast  and  steer  for  Hispaniola,  where  he 
arrived  about  the  20th  of  August. 

373.  Autograph  letter  of  Francisco  Roldan,  1502,  that  caused  Columbus  to 

be  disgraced  and  brought  home  from  Santiago  in  chains. 

Reaching  Santo  Domingo,  Columbus  found  a  large  portion  of  the  col- 
ony in  rebellion  under  the  leadership  of  Roldan,  the  chief-justice  of  the 
island,  who  had  been  raised  from  obscurity  by  Columbus,  but  was  am- 
bitious for  even  greater  power.  It  was  the  most  serious  difficulty  he  had 
ever  encountered,  and  his  conduct  in  this  case  has  been  the  subject  of 
much  discussion,  as  well  as  the  cause  of  the  greatest  humiliation  he 
suffered,  for  the  consequence  of  these  troubles  and  others  that  followed 
was  his  return  to  Spain  in  chains.  Roldan  wrote  this  letter  to  the  Coun- 
cil of  the  Indies  at  Seville,  making  serious  charges  against  Columbus. 

374.  Arrest  of  Columbus  by  Bobadilla. 

The  complaints  of  Roldan  having  reached  the  Court,  Francesco  de 
Bobadilla,  an  officer  of  the  royal  household,  was  sent  to  Hispaniola  in- 
vested with  supreme  power,  to  make  an  investigation.  He  was  given 
both  criminal  and  civil  jurisdiction,  was  authorized  to  arrest  all  who 
resisted  his  authority,  and  Columbus,  "the  Admiral  of  the  Ocean  Sea," 
was  directed  to  surrender  everything  to  him.  He  was  also  furnished 
with  blanks,  signed  by  the  King  and  Queen,  to  be  filled  out  with  orders 
at  his  discretion. 

375.  Columbus  imprisoned  by  Bobadilla. 

Original  drawing  by  H.  F.  Pluddemann.  Loaned  by  Mrs.  Pluddemann, 
Weisserhirsch,  Germany. 

376.  Columbus  imprisoned  by  Bobadilla. 

Sketch  in  color  by  H.  F.  Pluddemann.  Loaned  by  Mrs.  Pluddemann, 
Weisserhirsch,  Germany. 

377.  Columbus  and  Bobadilla. 

By  H.  F.  Pluddemann.  Loaned  by  Mrs.  Pluddemann,  Weisser- 
hirsch, Germany. 


88  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

378.  Citadel  at   Santo  Domingo,  in  which  Columbus  is  said  to  have  been 

imprisoned  by  Bobadilla. 

Columbus,  at  the  time  of  Bobadilla's  arrival  at  Santo  Domingo,  was  on 
a  journey  to  the  interior  of  the  island.  His  brother  Diego,  who  was  in 
command,  was  at  once  arrested  and  confined  in  irons  on  board  of  one  of 
the  caravels  in  the  harbor.  Bobadilla  seized  the  paper  and  money  of 
Columbus,  and  ordered  him  to  return  at  once.  This  castle,  which  was, 
it  is  said,  commenced  by  Bartholomew  Columbus  in  1496,  stands  to-day 
very  much  as  it  did  then,  and  from  its  tower  incoming  vessels  are 
signaled.  When  the  order  from  Bobadilla  for  Columbus  to  surrender 
himself  to  him  reached  the  latter,  he  was  far  in  the  interior,  at  the  for- 
tress of  Concepcion  de  la  Vega.  Immediately  complying,  he  departed 
for  the  capital,  traveling  across  the  island  almost  alone  and  unattended. 
Arriving  there,  he  was  at  once  seized  and  put  in  irons,  and  confined  in 
the  fortress,  the  irons  being  kept  on  him  until  a  caravel  was  ready  to 
take  him  to  Spain,  and  even  during  the  long  and  weary  voyage,  and  in 
this  condition  he  was  delivered  over  to  the  alcalde  at  Cadiz. 

Bobadilla  demanded  that  Columbus  send  instructions  to  his  brothei 
Bartholomew,  who  was  in  the  interior  with  an  armed  force,  to  come  in 
and  surrender,  which  the  admiral  did.  Bartholomew  was  also  placed 
in  irons  and  confined  in  one  of  the  caravels,  with  Diego  Columbus. 
The  admiral  expected  to  be  executed,  and  when  Alonzo  de  Villejo,  "a 
man  of  honorable  character,"  says  Las  Casas,  "and  a  firm  friend  of 
Columbus,"  came  to  the  dungeon  to  conduct  him  to  the  ship  that  was  to 
convey  him  to  Spain,  the  admiral  asked:  "Whither  do  you  take  me?" 
"To  embark  on  the  ship  for  Spain,  Your  Excellency,"  was  the  reply. 
"To  embark,  Villejo?     Is  that  the  truth?"    "It  is  true." 

379.  Columbus  returning  to  Spain  in  chains. 

H.  F.  Pluddemann.  Loaned  by  Mrs.  Pluddemann,  Weisserhirsch, 
Germany. 

380.  Columbus  in  chains. 

It  is  said  that  none  of  the  soldiers  were  willing  to  place  the  chains  on 
Columbus,  and  that  the  act  was  done  by  his  own  cook.  "He  was  a  shame- 
less fellow,"  writes  Las  Casas.  "I  knew  him,  and  I  think  his  name  was 
Espinosa." 

381.  Columbus  in  chains. 

The  caravel  set  sail  for  Spain  in  October,  1500,  and  during  the  voyage 
when  Villejo  offered  to  remove  his  chains,  Columbus  replied:  "No;  my 
sovereigns  ordered  me  to  submit,  and  Bobadilla  has  chained  me.  I  will 
wear  these  irons  until  they  are  removed  by  royal  order,  and  then  I  shall 
keep  them  as  relics  of   the   reward   that   is   given  me  for  my  services." 


SCENES  ASSOCIATED    WITH    THE    THIRD    VOYAGE. 


89 


This  is  the  account  of  Las  Casas,  and  Fernando  Columbus  adds:  "He 
did  so.  I  saw  them  always  hanging  in  his  cabinet,  and  he  requested 
that  when  he  died  they  might  be  buried  with  him." 

382.  Columbus  in  chains. 

Loaned  by  Manuel  V.  Bango  y  Leon,  Havana,  Cuba.     (In  the  chapel: 
For  sale.) 

383.  Photographs  of  chains  belonging  to  Cavalier 

G.  Baldi  of  Genoa,  claimed  to  be  the  same 

placed  upon  Columbus  by  Bobadilla. 

It  has  always  been  supposed  that  the 
chains  were  placed  in  the  coffin  of  Colum- 
bus, when  after  his  death  he  was  laid  in  the 
Franciscan  Monastery  at  Valladolid.  But, 
when  the  coffin  was  opened  upon  the  re- 
moval of  the  remains  to  Seville  a  few  years 
afterward,  the  chains  were  missing.  Cava- 
lier Baldi  of  Genoa  claims  that  the  chains 
were  removed  from  the  coffin  before  burial 
by  the  keeper  of  the  tavern  in  which  he  died, 
and  secreted  for  many  years  by  the  family 
of  the  latter,  from  whose  descendants  he 
(Signor  Baldi)  obtained  them,  and  they  now 
constitute  the  chief  treasure  of  the  Cabinet 
of  Mementos  of  Columbus. 

385.  Columbus  on  the  homeward  voyage. 

386.  Columbus  a  prisoner. 

387.  Columbus  on  the  deck  of  his  vessel. 

388.  Citadel   at   Santo   Domingo,   in  which  Columbus  was   imprisoned 

Bobadilla. 

Commenced  in  1496  by  Bartholomew  Columbus. 

The  Homenaje  is  on  the  bank  of  the  Ozama,  a  most  picturesque  cita- 
del, in  excellent  preservation,  and  the  oldest  building  of  its  kind  in 
America. 

389.  Pieces  of  wood  from  the  beam  to  which  Columbus  was  chained. 

Loaned  by  John  C.  Calhoun,  No.  80  Broadway,  New  York. 

In  1849  President  Taylor  sent  Mr.  Ben  E.  Green,  of  Dalton,  Georgia, 
on  a  secret  mission  with  plenipotentiary  powers  to  negotiate  a  treaty  with 
the  government  of  Santo  Domingo.  While  there  he  visited  the  house  in 
which  Columbus  lived  during  his  stay  in  Santo  Domingo.  The  ruins 
have  since  disappeared.  The  only  piece  of  timber  then  remaining  was 
a  mahogany  lintel,  which  was  presented  to  Mr.  Green  by  the  Minister  of 


Chains  of  Columbus. 


by 


£\^s 


90  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

Foreign   Relations.     He  took   it  on  board  the  United   States  steamer 
"Vixen,"  and  had  the  ship's  carpenter  saw  it  into  blocks,  which  were  dis-» 
tributed  among  the  officers  of  that  vessel. 
384.     Enlarged  fac-simile  of  inscriptions  upon   chains  belonging  to  Cavalier 
•  G.  Baldi  of  Genoa,  claimed  to   be  the  same  placed  upon  Columbus  by 

Bobadilla.  .^  - 

The  chain    weighs    thirty-       //  J**^f.  . .    D-  C/t/S  n  u  al 
four    hundred    grammes  a  $f&.P 

(seven  pounds  eight  ounces),  ^7  -^  *» 
and  are  divided  into  four 
parts,  namely:  1.  Large  chain 
to  be  fastened  to  the  ankle, 
with  an  extension  to  encircle 
the  waist,  six  feet  three  and 
three-fifth  inches  in  length. 
2.  Small  chain  with  handcuffs, 
two  feet  one  and  three-fifths 
inches  in  length.  3.  Two  other 
links,  connected    together,  five 

and    one-half    inches   long.     4.  ^.    ^  DQ      F  E  R  E  N  S      "" ♦"* 

The    lock.     On   the  fetters  and  .1439 

handcuffs     are    inscriptions    of  Inscriptions  on  chains  of  Columbu 3. 

abbreviated  words  and  interpolated  signs,  characteristic  of  the  time, 
which  Cavalier  Baldi  interpreted  as  follows:  "The  arrow  of  calumny  gave 
three  shackles  to  Don  Christopher.  Columbus,  the  dove  that  carried  the 
tidings  of  Christianity  to   the  New  World,  who  died  at  my  house,  Apo- 

sento,  Valladolid,  May,  1506,  in  the  peace  of  Christ.     Francisco  M ro 

(name  of  innkeeper)  had  this  engraved  as  a  pledge  of  jealous  and  eter- 
nal remembrance.    Christ  Bearer,  1499." 

390.     Letter  of  Columbus  to  the  nurse  of  Don  Juan. 

In  the  following  October  (1500),  after  a  pleasant  voyage,  the  caravels 
of  Villejo,  bearing  the  three  manacled  brothers,  Christopher,  Bartholo- 
mew and  Diego  Columbus,  entered  the  harbor  of  Cadiz.  While  at  sea 
Columbus  had  prepared  his  famous  letter  addressed  to  Dona  Juana  de  la 
Torre,  who  is  usually  spoken  of  as  the  "nurse"  of  Prince  Juan,  but  was 
really  his  governess,  or  the  person  in  charge  of  his  education,  a  lady  of 
rare  culture,  of  confidential  relations  with  the  Queen,  and  great  influ- 
ence with  Ferdinand  as  well  as  with  Isabella.  This  was  the  pitiful  mon- 
ody in  which  the  admiral  moans  that  he  has  "  now  reached  the  point 
where  there  is  no  man  so  vile,  but  thinks  it  his  right  to  insult  me  ;"  and 
with  the  chains  dragging  down  his  arms  he  relates  at  length  the  misery 


SCENES    ASSOCIATED    WITH    THE    THIRD    VOYAGE. 


91 


and  injustice  he  has  suffered.  Being  forwarded  promptly  to  Granada, 
where  the  court  was  sitting,  the  letter  fell  into  the  hands  of  Isabella, 
who  endeavored  to  atone  for  the  injustice  by  ordering  the  instant  release 
of  the  admiral,  and  writing  him  a  letter  of  sympathy,  it  is  said,  with  her 
own  hands.  She  directed  the  alcalde  of  Cadiz  to  provide  him  with  a 
princely  escort,  and  sent  him  two  thousand  golden  ducats  to  procure 
proper  apparel  and  pay  the  expenses  of  his  journey. 

391.  Cell    said  to 

have  been 
occupied  b  y  j 
Columbus  in 
the  old  cita- 
del at  Santo 
Domingo. 

392.  Piece    of   tim- 

ber from  the 
house  in 
which  Co- 
lumbus lived 
at  Santo  Do- 

•   *  View  of  the  sea  from  the  homenaje. 

393.  Splinter  from  the  timber  to  which  Columbus  was  chained  in  the  dun- 

geon at  Santo  Domingo. 

Brought  from  Santo  Domingo  by  Ben  E.  Green,  1849.  Loaned  by 
John  C.  Calhoun,  New  York. 

While  Mr.  Green  was  in  Santo  Domingo  he  visited  the  dungeon  in 
the  homenaje,  or  castle,  in  which,  it  is  supposed,  Columbus  was  impris-' 
oned.  A  round  iron  bar  extended  between  two  timbers  embedded  in 
the  walls.  Around  this  bar  was  a  loose  iron  ring,  which  permitted  Colum- 
bus to  take  exercise  by  walking  back  and  forth  across  the  narrow  con- 
fines of  his  cell.  In  1849  the  iron  bar  was  gone,  but  by  permission  of  the 
government  Mr.  Green  was  allowed  to  cut  a  splinter  from  the  timbers 
of  lignumvitae  in  the  walls. 

395.  Hesper  appearing  to  Columbus  in  prison. 

From  Barlow's  "  Colombian." 

396.  Indian  torches,  Island  of  Dominica,  West  Indies. 

The  Caribs  of  Dominica,  and  also  the  black  people  of  other  islands  in 
the  West  Indies,  make  large  torches  of  bark  filled  with  the  gum  of  the 
gommier  tree,  which  gives  out  not  only  a  brilliant  light,  but  fragrant  in- 
cense.    With  these  torches  the  mountain  residents  hunt  the  crapauds 


92 


THE    RELICS    OF.  COLUMBUS. 


and  nocturnal  animals,  and  the   Indians  fish  the  streams.     The  gum  of 
the  gommier,  which  grows  in  the  mountains  to  great  height,  is  frequently 
used  in  the  churches  as  incense. 
397.     Articles  made  by  Caribs,  Island  of  Dominica,  West  Indies. 

The  Caribs  of  Dominica  make  many  little  things  for  use  among  them- 
selves, such  as  panniers  or  baskets,  basket-work  playthings,  etc.,  as  well 
as  serviceable  canoes  in  which  they  make  long  trips  around  the  island. 
Out  of  the  calabashes  they  make  their  dishes.  They  are  very  expert 
with  their  knives,  whittling  out  many  things  of  use  in  their  huts,  which 
latter  they  sometimes  put  up  without  the  use  of  nail  or  hammer. 


Columbus  relating  his  adventures  to  Isabella. 

398.     Reception  of  Columbus  by  Queen  Isabella  on  his  return  from   his  third 

voyage. 

By  Jover. 

The  reception  of  Columbus  by  Isabella  upon  his  arrival  at  Granada, 
December  17,  1500,  was  one  of  the  most  pathetic  scenes  in  history. 
Oviedo,  the  historian,  was  a  witness  and  describes  it  in  detail.  "The 
Queen,"  he  says,  "burst  into  tears,  and  Columbus  fell  sobbing  at  her 
feet.  She  took  his  hands  and  led  him  to  a  seat,  and  when  he  was  able  to 
control  his  emotion  he  recited  at  length  the  wrongs  and  humiliations  he 


SCENES    ASSOCIATED    WITH    THE    THIRD    VOYAGE.  93 

had  suffered  in  her  service.  Ample  restitution  was  promised,  but  there  is 
no  record  that  Columbus  ever  received  anything  more  than  sympathy.  He 
was  not  restored  to  his  rank  and  command  as  viceroy,  and  it  was  fifteen 
months  before  he  could  obtain  permission  to  make  another  voyage.  Even 
then  he  was  denied  the  privilege  of  an  asylum  at  Santo  Domingo,  where, 
under  his  contracts  with  the  sovereigns,  he  was  to  be  a  perpetual  ruler. 
The  testimony  of  the  historians  of  that  date,  however,  acquits  Isabella  of 
ingratitude  or  indifference,  for  she  was  over-ruled  by  the  Council  of  the 
Indies,  under  Fonseca." 

399.  Pannier,  or  Carib  basket,  Island  of  Dominica,  West  Indies. 

Some  descendants  of  the  ancient  Caribs,  discovered  by  Columbus, 
still  live  in  the  islands  of  Dominica  and  St.  Vincent  in  the  southern 
West  Indies  and  preserve  many  of  the  old  customs  of  their  ancestors. 
They  subsist  by  fishing  and  agriculture,  and  make  the  native  baskets  in 
common  use  in  the  islands.  These  panniers  are  made  of  two  thicknesses 
of  woven  reed-strips  called  the  roseau,  between  which  is  a  layer  of  leaves 
of  the  balisier,  or  wild  plantain,  rendering  them  waterproof.  They  are 
extensively  used  as  trunks  by  the  natives,  and  the  demand  is  usually 
greater  than  the  very  indolent  Caribs  are  inclined  to  supply. 

400.  Canoes  from  the  Island  of  Dominica. 

Made  by  the  Caribs,  present  inhabitants  of  the  Windward  coast,  and 
descendants  of  the  Carib  Indians  discovered  by  Columbus. 

These  are  probably  of  the  same  type  as  those  built  and  used  by  the 
Caribs  when  first  seen  by  the  Spaniards. 

401.  Petrifactions  from  the  Island  of  Antiqua. 

Some  of  these  petrifactive  silicificationsare  valuable  specimens,  being 
of  cocoa  palm  and  other  tropical  woods. 

402.  Hercules  beetles  from  Dominica  Island. 

Discovered  by  Columbus  in  1493,  on  his  second  voyage. 

403.  Crapauds,  or  large  frogs  from  Dominica. 

Caught  and  eaten  by  the  Caribs. 

404.  "  Job's  tears." 

Seeds  native  to  the  Caribees  and  used  by  the  Indians  as  beads. 

405.  Jombie  beans. 

Seeds  used  by  the  native  Indians  as  beads. 


94 


THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 


SECTION  H.     SCENES  ASSOCIATED    WITH  THE  FOURTH   AND 
LAST  VOYAGE  OF  COLUMBUS. 


410.  Bay  of  Santo  Domingo. 

411.  Castle  at  Santo  Domingo  from  the  sea. 

413.  Old  church  at  Santo  Domingo. 

414.  The  oldest  church  in  America,  San  Antonio,  Santo  Domingo. 

415.  Old  city  wall,  Santo  Domingo. 


SCENES    ASSOCIATED    WITH    THE    LAST    VOYAGE. 


95 


View  of  Santo  Domingo  city. 
412.     View  of  Santo  Domingo. 

Having  failed  to  obtain  the  funds  and  authority  to  undertake  the  pious 
mission  of  rescuing  the  holy  sepulcher  from  the  infidels,  Columbus 
turned  his  attention  again  to  geography  and  navigation,  and  succeeded 
in  convincing  Ferdinand  and  the  councilors  at  Court  of  the  possibility 
of  sailing  westward,  around  the  world,  and  finding  a  better  passage  to 
the  Indies  than  by  the  African  route,  which  had  been  discovered  by  the 
Portuguese.  For  this  purpose  he  obtained  royal  permission  to  fit  out  a 
fleet  at  Cadiz,  early  in  1502,  and  sailed  on  the  9th  of  May  with  four  little 
caravels.  They  were  not  larger  than  ordinary  fishing  vessels,  for  the 
burden  of  the  largest  was  only  seventy  tons,  and  the  smallest  fifty,  and 
there  were  but  one  hundred  and  fifty  men  in  their  combined  crews.  And 
even  after  all  his  importunities,  and  all  the  promises  he  had  received,  he 
was  forbidden  to  visit  Hispaniola.  Nevertheless  he  determined  to  do  so, 
and  having  arrived  at  Santo  Domingo,  asked  permission  to  anchor  in 
the  harbor,  as  a  storm  was  threatening,  and  one  of  his  ships  having 
become  unseaworthy  he  wished  to  exchange  it  for  another. 
416.     The  storm  that  wrecked  the  fleet  of  Bobadilla. 

From  De  Bry. 

The  newly-arrived  governor  of  Hispaniola,  Nicolas  de  Ovando,  was 
familiar  with  the  conditions  under  which  Columbus  sailed  on  his  fourth 
voyage,  and  forbade  him  the  protection  of  the  port  of  Santo  Domingo, 
so  the  admiral  sought  refuge  in  another  harbor  to  the  westward.  The 
fleet  that  had  brought  Ovando  was  laden  and  was  ready  to  return  to 
Spain.  Among  its  passengers  was  Bobadilla,  who  had  placed  Columbus 
in  chains,  and  Roldan,  who  had  led  the  rebellion  against   him  two  years 


96  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

previous.  Their  ships  put  to  sea  and  were  lost  in  the  storm  that  Columbus 
had  predicted  ;  but  his  little  fleet  survived  in  the  shelter  he  had  found 
lower  down  the  coast. 

417.  Street  in  Truxillo,  near  the  place  where  Columbus  first  landed  on  the 

American  continent. 

Having  repaired  his  ships,  Columbus  sailed  westward  past  Jamaica^ 
until  he  made  land  on  the  shores  of  Honduras  at  Carxinas  Point,  near  the 
town  of  Truxillo.  Had  he  gone  further  westward  he  might  have  anticipated 
Cortez  in  the  conquest  of  Mexico,  but  he  was  not  looking  for  new  lands- 
He  sought  a  western  passage  around  the  world,  and  turning  east- 
ward groped  along  the  coast  seeking  the  channel  he  felt  should  be 
there,  cruising  into  each  river  and  following  the  shore  lines  of  each  gulf 
and  bay.  Exposure  and  disappointment  had  shattered  the  constitution 
of  the  once  hardy  seaman,  and  his  strength  was  fast  failing.  His  old 
enemy,  the  gout,  had  attacked  him  again,  and  the  miasmatic  coasts  had 
filled  him  with  fever.  There  was  little  left  of  him  but  his  will.  He 
had  a  bunk  built  in  the  bows  of  his  little  vessel  where  he  could  rest  his 
weary  bones  and  still  guide  the  course  of  his  fleet.  And  thus  he  ex- 
plored the  whole  coast  of  the  isthmus,  from  Yucatan  to  Colombia,  find- 
ing an  unbroken  line  of  continent  in  defiance  of  all  his  theories,  in 
contradiction  to  all  his  reasoning,  and  an  impassible  barrier  to  the  am- 
bition he  had  cherished  for  thirty  years. 

418.  View  of  the  river  near  Truxillo,  on  which  the  companions  of  Columbus 

had  a  battle  with  the  natives. 

On  the  coast  of  Honduras,  Columbus  found  evidences  of  a  higher 
civilization  than  had  appeared  among  the  natives  of  the  islands  he  had 
previously  visited.  The  Indians  were  better  looking,  more  intelligent 
and  more  warlike  than  any  he  had  yet  seen.  While  the  natives  of  the 
islands  stood  in  awe  of  the  white  men,  and  showed  a  gentleness  of  de- 
meanor, those  of  Honduras  offered  resistance  at  once,  and  greeted  the 
voyagers  with  a  shower  of  arrows  from  their  cross-bows.  They  wore 
garments  of  cotton,  they  had  copper  knives  and  hatchets,  pottery  of 
exquisite  workmanship,  and  their  houses  were  built  of  stone  and  adobe. 
The  government  of  Honduras  has  recently  issued  a  decree  for  the  erec- 
tion of  a  monument  to  mark  the  spot  where  Columbus  first  landed  upon 
the  soil  of  Central  America.  It  will  be  a  life-size  statue  standing  upon 
a  pedestal,  and  will  bear  the  inscription:  "The  Republic  of  Hon- 
duras to  Christopher  Columbus,  1492-1892." 

419.  Scene  on  the  Rio    Duke,  Guatemala,  where  the  vessels  of    Columbus 

grounded. 
422.     Chapel  at  Truxillo,  erected  in  1540. 


SCENES    ASSOCIATED    WITH    THE    LAST    VOYAGE.  9/ 

420.     Present  appearance  of  the  place  where   Columbus   first  landed  in    Hon- 
duras. 


Indian  huts  when  Columbus  landed  in  Honduras. 
Columbus  determined  to  establish  a  colony  at  the  spot  where  now  stands 
the  town  of  Truxillo.  There  were  signs  of  abundant  gold  there.  It  was 
his  purpose  to  hold  the  region  and  accumulate  treasure  while  he  returned 
to  Spain  to  report  the  discoveries  and  bring  back  the  supplies  and  rein- 
forcements. Eighty  men  under  the  command  of  Bartholomew,  his 
brother,  agreed  to  remain.  The  provisions  and  other  supplies  were 
divided,  and  the  colonists  commenced  to  erect  houses  for  their  shelter. 
The  admiral  was  ready  to  sail,  and  was  awaiting  favorable  winds,  when 
it  was  discovered  by  those  on  shore  that  the  natives  were  preparing  for 
an  attack  upon  the  colony.  It  came  soon  after  with  great  disaster.  A 
boat  was  sent  to  the  admiral's  ship  outside  the  bar  with  the  news,  and  a 
request  from  the  colonists  that  he  would  not  sail  without  them.  The  boat 
was  upset  and  the  crew  were  drowned.  Finally  a  sailor  succeeded  in 
swimming  through  the  surf  and  told  the  sad  tale  to  Columbus.  A  raft 
was  made  of  two  Indian  canoes  lashed  together,  and  the  survivors  of  the 
massacre  reached  the  ship. 
421.     Old  fortress  at  Truxillo,  built  by  Cortez,  1526. 

Outside  its  walls,  Walker,  the  filibuster,  was  executed. 

423.  Indian  village  near  Truxillo. 

424.  Two  native  houses  near  Truxillo. 

425.  Views  of  Puerto  Bello,  Isthmus  of  Panama. 

At  the  site  of  Puerto  Bello,  on  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  Columbus  estab- 
lished a  colony  during  his  fourth  and  last  voyage  for  the  purpose  of  as- 
certaining the  source  from  which  the  Indians  got  their  gold,  but  it  existed 


98 


THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 


only  four  months.  Several  of  the  party  were  massacred  by  the  Indians, 
and  many  died  of  disease.  The  food  became  low,  and  the  ships  were 
so  worm-eaten  that  they  would  scarcely  float,  so  he  started  back  toward 
Hispaniola,  and  the  leaking  caravels  were  beached  in  Santa  Gloria  Bay, 
on  the  northern  coast  of  Jamaica.  As  the  name  (bestowed  by  Columbus 
in  1502)  implies,  Puerto  Bello  has  a  very  fine  harbor,  with  from  eight  to 
ten  fathoms  of  water  at  the  entrance  of  the  bay,  with  Drake  Point  on  the 
north  and   Buenaventura   Island  on  the  south.     A  town  was   founded 


426. 


427. 


Walls  of  Puerto  Bello. 
there  in  1584,  which  rapidly  grew  in  importance,  being  the  great  depot 
for  the  gold  and  silver  from  Peru  brought  across  the  isthmus  and  taken 
to  Spain  by  the  royal  galleons.  It  was  destroyed  in  1739  by  Admiral 
Vernon,  of  the  British  navy.  The  population  was  at  that  time  ten  thou- 
sand, but  it  is  now  less  than  one  thousand,  the  decline  beingjdue  to  the  loss 
of  trade  and  the  unhealthiness  of  its  situation. 
Columbus  in  Jamaica  predicting  the  eclipse  to  the  Indians. 

By  H.  F.  Pluddemann.     Owned  by  Mrs.  Pluddemann,  Weisserhirsch, 
Germany. 
Lettera  Rarissima  di  Cristoforo  Colombo. 


SCENES    ASSOCIATED    WITH    THE    LAST    VOYAGE.  99 

428.     Christopher's  Cove,  St.  Ann's  Bay,  where  Columbus  was  wrecked. 


429. 

430. 
43i. 
432. 
433- 

434- 


Where  Columbus  was  wrecked. 
A  mile  or  more  to  the  east  of  St.  Ann's  Bay,  which  Columbus  named 
Santa  Gloria,  he  ran  his  ships  aground  and,  lashing  them  together,  built 
thatched  cabins  on  their  decks.  "  Thus  castled  in  the  sea,  he  hoped  to 
be  able  to  repel  any  invaders  and  at  the  same  time  to  keep  his  men  from 
roving  about  the  neighborhood  and  committing  their  usual  excesses." 
Here  he  was  compelled  to  remain  for  nearly  a  year,  until  finally 
rescued  by  a  vessel  from  Santo  Domingo.  The  cove  is  a  beautiful  and 
secluded  one,  with  white  sand  beach  and  bordering  fringe  of  sea-grape 
trees.  It  was  visited  and  photographed  by  the  Columbian  commissioner 
in  1891. 

Bay  of  Santa  Gloria,  Jamaica,  near   which  Columbus   was   wreck   on 
his  fourth  voyage. 

Christopher's  Cove,  Jamaica,  from  the  sea. 

Port  Maria,  Jamaica,  visited  by  Columbus. 

Lucca,  Jamaica,  visited  by  Columbus. 

Prison  built  from  the  ruins  of  first  fort  erected  by  the  Spaniards   in 

Jamaica. 
Landing  place  at  Christopher's  Cove. 

While  the  preparations  for  the  departure  from  Jamaica  were  going  on 
Columbus  prepared  the  letter  to  his  sovereigns,  which  has  frequently 


100  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

been  published  as  evidence  that  he  had  become  insane.  The  original 
Spanish  text  was  discovered  in  the  King's  Library  at  Madrid  by  Nava- 
rette,  early  in  this  century  and  has  been  printed  as  the  "  Lettera  Raris- 
sima  di  Cristoforo  Colombo.  "  The  letter  is  a  jumble  of  incoherent 
thoughts,  without  plan  or  purpose,  and  is  calculated  to  arouse  the  deep- 
est pity,  because  it  is  a  sorrowful  index  of  his  wandering  reason.  He 
reviews  his  career  in  Spain  and  his  relations  with  the  sovereigns,  recalls 
many  incidents  of  neglect  and  mortification  which  he  had  experienced. 

"I  was  twenty-eight  years  old,"  he  says  "when  I  came  into  Your  High- 
ness' service,  and  now  I  have  not  a  hair  upon  me  that  is  not  gray;  my 
body  is  infirm,  and  all  that  was  left  to  me,  as  well  as  to  my  brother,  has 
been  taken  away  and  sold,  even  to  the  frock  that  I  wore,  to  my  great 
dishonor." 

He  then  recalls  old  geographical  and  astronomical  problems,  and 
finally  turns  back  to  his  quest  for  gold.  "Gold  is  the  most  precious  of 
all  commodities.  Gold  constitutes  treasure,  and  he  who  possesses  it  has 
all  he  needs  in  this  world,  as  also  the  means  of  rescuing  souls  from  pur- 
gatory and  restoring  them  to  the  enjoyment  of  paradise." 

435.  Indian  cacique  in  Cuba  or  Jamaica,  addressing   Columbus   concerning 

a  future  state.     (From  an  old  print.) 

After  witnessing  a  Spanish  mass,  an  old  Indian  approached  Columbus 
and  said:  "Know  you,  that  according  to  our  belief,  the  souls  of  men 
have  two  journeys  to  perform  after  they  have  departed  from  the  body. 
One  to  a  place  dismal  and  foul,  prepared  for  those  who  have  been  un- 
just and  cruel  to  their  fellowmen;  the  other,  pleasant  and  full  of  delight, 
for  such  as  have  promoted  peace  on  earth.  If,  then,  thou  art  mortal, 
and  dost  expect  to  die,  and  dost  believe  that  each  one  shall  be  rewarded 
according  to  his  deeds,  beware  that  thou  wrongfully  hurt  no  man,  nor  do 
harm  to  those  who  have  done  no  harm  to  thee."      Advice  which  it  would 

have  been  well  if  Columbus  had  heeded. 

* 

436.  Island  of  Navassa,  between  Jamaica  and  Hayti. 

From  a  photograph  by  the  Columbian  commissioner. 

This  island  was  the  one  at  which  the  messenger  sent  by  Columbus  to 
Santo  Domingo,  with  information  of  his  shipwreck  and  request  for  succor, 
landed  with  his  Indian  crew.  This  messenger  was  Diego  Mendez,  who 
left  Jamaica,  where  Columbus  remained  a  prisoner  for  nearly  a  year, 
owing  to  the  stranding  of  his  vessels,  and  undertook  to  cross  to  Hayti, 
and  but  for  his  arrival  at  Navassa,  on  the  way,  would  have  perished  of 
thirst  and  fatigue. 
437*     Fight  between  Columbus  and  Porras. 

On  the  2d  of  January,  1504,  when  the  ships  of  Columbus  had  been 


SCENES    ASSOCIATED    WITH    THE    LAST    VOYAGE.  10 1 

wrecked  on  the  coast  of  Jamaica,  Francisco  de  Porras  attacked  the 
admiral,  claiming  that  he  had  purposely  destroyed  his  ships  in  order  to 
prevent  them  from  returning  to  Spain.  A  battle  occurred  between  Porras 
and  forty-eight  men,  and  the  remainder  of  the  crew  of  Columbus. 

EARLY  PICTURES    OF    AMERICA    FROM    DE    BRY'S  VOYAGES. 


438 
439 
440 
441 
442 
443 
444 
445 
446 

447 
448 

449 
450 
45i 
452 
453 
454 
455 
456 


Persecution  of  the  Indians  by  the  Spaniards. 

Indians  trying  to  ascertain  the  Spaniards  are  immortal. 

Massacre  of  priests  by  the  Indians  in  Santo  Domingo. 

Sir  Walter  Raleigh  making  a  treaty  with  the  Indians  of  the  Orinoco. 

Indians  of  Santo  Domingo  making  sugar. 

Pouring  melted  gold  down  the  throats  of  Spaniards. 

Columbus  receiving  presents  from  the  wife  of  the  cacique. 

The  people  of  Florida  sacrificing  their  first-born  to  the  sun. 

Method  of  burying  the  dead  among  the  Indians  of  America. 

Burial  of  an  Indian  princess. 

Indians  gathering  dew  from  the  trees. 

Indians  fighting  the  Spaniards  from  the  branches  of  the  trees. 

Indians  visiting  the  ships  of  Columbus. 

Indians  cooking  fish. 

Indians  cooking  beasts  and  fish. 

Massacre  of  priests  in  Santo  Domingo. 

Execution  of  mutineers  by  Columbus. 

Indian  religious  ceremonies. 

Strange  animals  seen  by  Columbus. 


457.  Natives  of  Brazil. 

From  Description  de  L'Univers  by  Allain  Manesson  Mallett,  Paris,  1633. 

458.  City  of  Salvador  (Bahia),  Brazil,  in  1600. 

From  Description  de  L'Univers   by   Allain   Manesson   Mallett,  Paris, 
1633. 

459.  City  of  Cartagena,  Colombia. 

From  Description  de  L'Univers  by  Allain   Manesson  Mallett,  Paris, 
1633. 

460.  City  of  Havana. 

From  Description  de  L'Univers  by  Allain   Manesson   Mallett,   Paris, 
1633. 


102  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

461.  People  of  Virginia. 

From  Description  de  L'Univers  by  Allain  Manesson  Mallet,  Paris, 
1633. 

462.  The  mountain  of  Potosi,  Bolivia . 

From  Description  de  L'Univers  by  Allain  Manesson  Mallett,  Paris, 
1633. 

463.  Natives  of  Cuba  preparing  their  evening  meal. 

From  an  old  print. 

464.  Terrible  monster  seen  by  Columbus. 

From  John  Ogilby's  History  of  America,  1671. 

465.  Indians  entertaining  the  Spaniards. 

From  Philopono's  Voyage  to  the  New  World  of  the  Western  Indies. 

466.  Family  of  Caribs  from  the  Island  of  Dominica. 

467.  Strange  animals  seen  by  the  discoverers. 

From  John  Ogilby's  History  of  America,  1671. 

468.  Fac-simile  of  an  old  engraving  showing  how  the  Indians  made  bread. 

From  Benzoni. 

469.  Fac-simile  of  an  old  engraving  showing  the  Indian  method  of  torturing 

Spaniards  by  pouring  gold  down  their  throats. 
From  Benzoni. 

470.  Natives  of  America  carrying  their  queen. 

As  described  by  Bartholomew  Columbus  when  he  first  visited  the  site 
of  Santo  Domingo. 

471.  Bell  of  Cartagena. 

Loaned  by  Monsignor  Eugenio  Biffi,  Archbishop  of  Columbia. 

The  city  of  Cartagena,  Colombia,  was  founded  on  the  20th  of  Janu- 
ary, 1523,  and  was  immediately  made  an  Episcopal  see.  The  first 
archbishop  was  Fray  Tomas  de  Toro.  He  arrived  at  Cartagena  in. 
1534  and  founded  the  Convent  of  San  Esteban  de  Salamanca,  with  a 
church  of  the  same  name.  When  he  set  sail  for  the  New  World  he  took 
with  him  all  the  paraphernalia  for  the  church,  including  a  bell  which 
was  presented  to  him  by  Charles  V,  the  Emperor  of  Spain.  It  was  a 
beautiful  piece  of  workmanship,  weighing  about  seventy-five  pounds, 
and  bears  the  following  inscription:  "Ave  Maria  sin  pecado  concebido, 
1104" — (Hail  Mary  conceived  without  sin).  Below  this  is  a  small  raised 
cross.  It  is  believed  that  the  figures  indicate  the  year  in  which  the  bell 
was  cast,  and  that  it  was  procured  by  the  emperor  from  some  convent  or 
church  in  Spain. 


THE    LAST    DAYS    OF    COLUMBUS. 


103 


SECTION  I.     THE  LAST  DAYS  OF  COLUMBUS. 


485.  City  of  Seville. 

Published  early  in  the  sixteenth  century,  giving  a  view  of  the  house 
of  Columbus.     Engraved  on  copper. 

486.  City  of  Seville. 

Engraved  on  copper,  1580. 

This,  the  Queen  City  of  Andalusia,  is  most  conspicuous  in  its  relation 
to  the  voyages  of  Columbus,  especially  the  later  ones,  as  here  was  the 
market  for  the  New  World  products,  and  many  of  the  expeditions  were 
fitted  out  from  this  port  on  the  Guadalquivir;  it  is  identified  with  the 
last  days  of  Columbus,  as  his  place  of  residence  previous  to  his  last 
journey  which  ended  in  his  death. 

487.  View  of  the  port  of  Seville  and  the  Tower  of  Gold  from  the  Palace  of 

San  Telmo. 


1 


Cross  in  the  Cathedral  at  Seville. 

Made  from  the  first  gold  brought  by  Columbus  from  the  New  World. 

In  the  Cathedral  at  Seville  is  a  cross  which  is  said  to  be  made  of  the 
gold  brought  by  Columbus  from  the  New  World. 
The  Tower  of  Gold  at  Seville. 

What  is  known  as  the  Tower  of  Gold,  an  old  Roman  structure  on  the 


104 


THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMCUS. 


Guadalquivir,  was  designated  as  a  special  custom  house,  or  depository 
for  gold  and  other  articles  brought  from  the  Indies.  It  is  locally  known 
as  the  Terre  del  Oro,  and  within  it  was  placed  much  of  the  treasure 
from  the  voyages  of  Columbus. 

490.  View  of  the  Alcazar  Seville,  in  which  Columbus  is  said  to  have  had 

interviews  with  Queen  Isabella. 

491.  Convent  of  Cartuja. 
From  the  time       p^..^,iW. — ms£i„     of  his  return  from  his  last  voy- 
age, in    Novem-  ber,  1504,  to  May,  1505,  Colum- 

Convent   of   Cartuja,    with    his 


old  friend  Father  Gaspar  Corricio,  near  Seville.  He  suffered  from  gout  and 
from  fevers  contracted  in  Honduras  and  during  his  long  exile  in  Jamaica. 
His  time  was  mostly  spent  in  writing  long  and  often  incoherent  letters  to 
his  sovereigns,  to  Diego  his  son,  and  to  other  persons  at  court,  bewail- 
ing his  misfortunes  and  the  ingratitude  of  mankind,  and  appealing  for 
compensation  due  him  and  some  substantial  recognition  for  his  services.* 
492.     Autograph  of  Christopher  Columbus,  1502. 

While  at  Seville,  in  1505,  Columbus  saw  a  good  deal  of  Americus  Ves- 
pucius.  They  had  become  acquainted  while  the  admiral  was  fitting  out 
his  ships  for  his  second  voyage,  the  contract  for  furnishing  the  supplies 
having  been  awarded  to  a  merchant  named  Beradi,  by  whom  Vespucius 
was  employed,  and  the  latter  had  active  charge  of  the  business.  In  the 
meantime  Vespucius  had  himself  made  two  voyages,  cruising  along  a 
good  deal  of  the  northern  coast  of  South  America,  and  down  the  east 
coast  as  far  as  Bahia,  Brazil,  where  the  Portuguese  had  established  a 
trading  post.  It  was  at  the  conclusion  of  his  second  voyage,  in  Septem- 
*  The  originals  of  some  of  the  letters  are  shown  in  the  chapel. 


THE    LAST    DAYS    OF    COLUMBUS. 


105 


492. 


ber,  1504,  that  Americus  had  written  the  account  of  his  discoveries  which 
three  years  later  caused  his  name  to  be  given  to  the  New  World;  but 
there  is  no  reason  to  believe  that  he  anticipated  or  even  hoped  that  his 
fame  would  be  so  closely  linked  to  the  western  hemisphere.  Nor  is  there 
any  evidence  of  the  slightest  rivalry  or  jealousy  between  the  two  voy- 
agers. 
Page  of  "De  las  Profecias."     Autograph  of  Columbus. 

A  book  written  by  Columbus  to  prove  that  his  discoveries  were  pre- 
dicted by  the  Scriptures.     Original  in  Columbian  library,  Seville. 


tf  y,t«-M  fft 


UU 


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+1    s-ft* 

Jfc 

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S^4 

Z&~ 

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Autograph  of  Columbus. 
While  Columbus  was  at  the  Convent  of  Cartuja  near  Seville,  after  his 
last  voyage,  impatiently  waiting  the  fulfillment  of  the  renewed  assur- 
ances he  had  received  from  his  sovereigns,  he  wrote  his  "Libros  de  las 
Profecias,"  or  Book  of  Prophecies,  the  manuscript  of  which  is  still  pre- 
served in  the  Columbian  library  at  Seville.  In  this  work  Columbus 
endeavored  to  prove  that  his  discoveries  were  predicted  in  the  Scriptures, 
but  no  publisher  has  ever  considered  the  document  of  sufficient  impor- 
tance to  be  printed  entire,  and  we  have  only  fragmentary  extracts.  Some 
critical  commentators  have  concluded  that  the  admiral  was  insane  at 
this  time,  for  he  reasoned  that  the  end  of  the  world  would  come  within 
one  hundred  and  fifty-five  years,  and  that  there  was  nothing  left  to  be 
accomplished  except  the  rescue  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre  from  the  infidels 


106  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

Dy  a  crusade  under  the   auspices   of  Queen  Isabella,  of  which  he  was 
designed  by  the  Almighty  to  be  the  leader. 

He  also  wrote  a  curious  communication  to  the  pope,  in  which  he 
argued  that  his  sufferings  and  the  loss  of  his  rights  and  authority  were 
the  acts  of  Satan  to  punish  him  for  bringing  the  heathen  of  the  unknown 
lands  within  the  reach  of  the  Gospel,  and  to  prevent  the  accomplishment 
of  his  aspirations  to  recover  the  grave  of  Christ  from  the  Moslems.  But 
neither  the  pope  nor  the  Spanish  sovereigns  were  inclined  to  entrust  the 
enterprise  to  the  control  of  a  querulous  and  dejected  old  sailor.* 

494.  The  death  of  Columbus. 

By  Ortego. 

Original  in  National  Museum,  Madrid. 

495.  Death  of  Columbus. 

Original  by  Robert  Fleury. 

Owing  to  the  difficulty  in  securing  animals  for  the  cavalry  in  Spain,  an 
edict  had  been  published  by  the  King  forbidding  the  use  of  mules  in 
traveling,  except  by  royal  permission.  While  Columbus  was  in  Seville, 
shortly  before  his  death,  he  wished  to  make  a  journey  to  the  court,  then 
sitting  at  Granada,  to  plead  his  own  cause.  Cardinal  Mendoza  placed 
his  litter  at  the  disposal  of  the  admiral,  but  he  preferred  a  mule,  and 
wrote  to  Diego  asking  him  to  petition  the  King  for  the  privilege  of  using 
one.     That  request  was  granted  in  the  following  curious  manner: 

"Decree  granting  to  Don  Christopher  Colon  permission  to  ride  on  a 
mule  saddled  and  bridled  through  any  parts  of  these  kingdoms. 

"The  King:  As  I  am  informed  that  you,  Christopher  Colon,  the  Admiral, 
are  in  poor  health,  owing  to  certain  diseases  which  you  had  or  have,  and 
that  you  can  not  ride  on  horseback  without  injury  to  your  health,  there- 
fore, conceding  this  to  your  advanced  age,  I,  by  these  presents,  grant  you 
license  to  ride  on  a  mule,  saddled  and  bridled,  through  whatever  parts  of 
these  kingdoms  or  realms  you  wish  and  choose,  notwithstanding  the  law 
which  I  issued  thereto;  and  I  command  the  citizens  of  all  parts  of  these 
kingdoms  and  realms  not  to  offer  you  any  impediment  or  allow  any  to 
be  offered  to  you  under  penalty  of  ten  thousand  maravedi  in  behalf  of 
the  treasury,  of  whoever  does  the  contrary. 

"Given  in  the  city  of  Toro,  February  23,  1505." 
496a.     Death  of  Columbus. 

Original  by  Baron  Wappers,  in  London. 

Finally,  after  many  attempts  to  make  a  journey  he  was  too  weak  to 
undertake,  Columbus  started  in  May,  1505,  under  the  patient  and  affec- 
tionate care  of  his  brother,  Bartholomew,  and  reached  Segovia,  where 
the  King  was  living,  in  the  following  August;  but  his  reception  by  Fer- 
*  The  original  of  the  letter  to  the  Pope  is  exhibited  in  the  chapel,  No.  «$7. 


THE    LAST    DAYS    OF    COLUMBUS. 


107 


496b. 


497- 


dinand  only  increased  his  mortification  and  distress.  His  personal  appli- 
cation for  redress  was  quite  as  ineffective  as  his  letters,  and  he  sank  in 
despair.  On  the  25th  of  August  he  made  his  will,  which  is  a  very  long 
and  comprehensive  document,  and  then  from  his  bed  renewed  his  written 
appeals,  not  for  himself,  as  he  realized  that  his  days  were  numbered,  but 
in  behalf  of  his  son.  He  begged  King  Ferdinand  to  bestow  upon  Diego 
the  honors  he  had  won,  and  restore  to  him  the  rights  and  authority  of 
which  he  had  been  deprived* 
Death  of  Columbus. 

By  Carlos  Lira.     Original  in  Musco  de  Bellas  Artes,  Santiago,  burned 
in  1892. 

On  May  20,  1506,  Columbus  died,  after  partaking  of  the  Holy  Sacra-, 
ment  and  uttering  the  words:  "Into  Thy  hands,  Oh,  Lord,  I  commit  my 
spirit." 
House  in  which  Columbus  died. 


The  house  at  Valla- 
dolid,  Spain,  in  which 
Columbus  died  May  20, 
1506,  is  still  standing, 
and  is  visited  by  multi- 
tudes of  tourists.  At  the 
time  of  his  death  it  was 
inn.  His  brother, 
Bartholomew,  was  with 
him.  In  none  of  the 
chronicles  of  the  time,  and  they  are  numerous,  is  there  any  allusion  to 
the  event.  It  was  not  until  nearly  a  month  after  that  the  fact  was 
officially  recorded,  and  then  in  the  briefest  and  most  indifferent  manner. 
On  the  back    of    one  -of  his  belated  appeals  to  the  King  some  clerk 

*  The  original  manuscript  of  the  will    and    the  letter  to  King  Ferdinand  are  exhibited 
in  the  cuape'.,  Nos.  935  and  949. 


io8 


THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 


wrote  "  The  within  admiral  is  dead."      The  house  is  a  plain  structure, 
at  No.  2  Calle   Ancha  de  Magdalena,  its  most  noteworthy  feature,  until 
recently,  being  a  sign  over  the  door  announcing  the  sale  within  of  Leche 
de  burros  y  vacas — cows'  and  asses'  milk. 
498.     Chapel  of  the  Convent  of  Cartuja,  in  which  Columbus  was  buried. 


499. 


The  biographies   of   Columbus   usually   state   that    King    Ferdinand 
ordered  the  removal  of  the  remains  of  Columbus  to  Seville  immediately 
after  his  death,  and  erected  a  monument  bearing  the  inscription  : 
"  A  Castilla  y  a  Leon, 
Nuevo  Mundo  dio  Colon." 
[To  Castile  and  Leon,  Columbus  gave  a  new  world.] 

This  statement  did  not  appear  in  print  for  eight  years  after,  and  if 
the  will  of  Diego  can  be  accepted  as  testimony,  the  remains  of  Columbus 
were  removed  three  years  after  his  death  to  the  vault  of  the  Carthusian 
Monastery  of  Las  Cuevas,  near  Seville,  by  members  of  his  own  family, 
who  erected  the  monument  without  the  aid  or  knowledge  of  the  King. 
His  remains  were  first  deposited  in  the  Convent  of  San  Francisco, 
Valladolid,  and  subsequently  removed  to  Seville  in  1513,  whence,  about 
the  year  1541,  they  were  taken  to  Santo  Domingo. 
Cathedral  of  Santo  Domingo. 

In  1537,  upon  the  application  of  Dona  Maria  de  Toledo,  the  widow  of 
Diego  Columbus,  a  royal  order  was  issued  permitting  the  removal  of  the 


THE    LAST    DAYS    OF    COLUMBUS.  log 

body  of  Columbus  to  Santo  Domingo,  but  for  some  reason  it  was  not 
carried  out,  and  three  separate  orders  to  the  same  effect  were  granted  to 
Dona  Maria  between  1537  and  1541.  In  the  latter  year  her  efforts  appear 
to  have  been  successful,  although  some  historians  hold  that  the  removal 
did  not  take  place  until  nine  years  later,  upon  the  completion  of  the 
great  Cathedral  at  Santo  Domingo.  The  records  of  that  city  throw  no 
light  upon  the  controversy,  for  it  was  not  until  1676  that  an  entry  was 
made  in  canonical  books  of  the  Cathedral  concerning  the  re-entombment 
of  the  remains.  It  is  said,  however,  that  when  the  city  was  sacked  by 
Sir  Francis  Drake,  the  British  freebooter,  in  1585,  the  archives  of  the 
Cathedral  were  destroyed. 

When  the  treaty  of  Basle,  in  1795,  transferred  the  colony  of  Santo 
Domingo  from  the  Spaniards  to  the  French,  the  Duke  of  Veragua,  who 
had  inherited  the  titles  and  estates  of  the  admiral,  obtained  permission 
to  transport  the  remains  to  Havana,  in  order  that  they  might  remain  on 
Spanish  soil.  With  great  solemnity  and  ceremony,  what  was  believed 
to  be  the  coffin  of  Christopher  Columbus  was  removed  from  the 
presbytery  of  the  Santo  Domingo  Cathedral,  and,  attended  by  a  splendid 
retinue  of  ecclesiastic  and  civil  dignitaries,  with  a  fleet  of  the  Spanish 
Navy,  was  carried  to  Havana  and  there  imbedded  in  the  walls  of  the 
Cathedral  to  the  left  of  the  altar. 

500.  Cathedral  at  Havana. 

501.  Altar  of  the  Cathedral  at  Havana. 

502.  Crystal  locket  containing  some  of  the  dust  of  Columbus. 

In  1877  when  the  coffin  was  found  which,  from  the  inscriptions,  was 
believed  to  contain  the  remains  of  Columbus,  Senor  J.  M.  Castillo,  who 
was  assisting  in  the  work,  took  out  a  pinch  of  the  "dust,  a  portion  of 
which  he  gave  to  the  present  owner,  Mrs.  E.  P.  Sargent,  New  York  city. 

503.  Photograph    of    the    urn   at  Genoa  containing  some    of   the   dust   of 

Columbus. 

A  pinch  of  the  dust  was  also  sent  to  the  mayor  of  Genoa,  his  birth- 
place, where  it  has  since  been  preserved  in  a  beautiful  case. 

504.  Photograph  of  a  crystal  case  at  the  University  of  Pavia,   Italy,  con- 

taining a  pinch  of  the  dust  of  Columbus. 

The  archbishop  also  sent  a  pinch  of  the  dust  to  the  University  of 
Pavia,  where  Columbus  is  alleged  to  have  been  educated.  It  is  there 
preserved  in  a  crystal  case. 

505.  Piece  of  altar  rail,  Santo  Domingo. 

Piece  of  mahogany  altar  rail,  from  old  church  in  Santo  Domingo. 
Loaned  by  the  president  of  Georgetown  University,  Washington,  D.  C* 
— the  Rev.  J.  Haven  Richards,  S.  J. 


no 


THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 


506.     Interior  of  the  Cathedral,  Santo  Domingo. 

Showing  location  of  high  altar  and  Columbus  burial  vault. 

The  bones  of  Columbus  are  said  to  be  deposited  in  the  wall  at  the  left. 


'i 


^ 


On  the  14th  of 
May,  1877,  while 
the  Cathedral  at 
Santo  Domingo 
was  being  re- 
stored, some 
workmen  d  i  s- 
covered,  on  the 
Epistle  side  of 
the  altar,  a  me- 
tallic box.  The 
archbishop"  was 
at  once  notified, 

and  he  directed  the  box  to  be  removed,  in  the  presence  of  a  number  of 
officials.  It  was  found  to  bear  an  inscription  in  Spanish  which  reads: 
"The  Admiral  Don  Luis  Colon,  Duke  of  Veragua,  Marquis  of  Jamaica." 
The  discovery  caused  great  excitement.  On  the  opposite  or  Gospel  side 
of  the  altar  two  more  crypts  were  disclosed.  One  was  empty,  from  which 
the  coffin  transported  to  Havana  was  taken.     The  other  contained  a 


Interior  of  the  Santo 
Domingo  Cathedral. 


THE    LAST    DAYS    OF    COLUMBUS. 


I  I 


JPJ> 


metallic  box  similar  to  that  in  which  the  remains  of  Luis  Columbus  were 
found.  Within  it  were  a  quantity  of  dust,  a  number  of  bones,  a  portion 
^f  a  skull,  a  leaden  ball,  and  a  silver  plate  about  two  inches  long.  It 
was  supposed  that  these  were  the  remains  of  Christopher  Columbus, 
because  of  certain  inscriptions  on  the  box. 
Tomb  of  Columbus  and  steps  to  the  presbytery. 


508.     Fac-simile  of  the  box  in  which  the  remains  of  Columbus  were  found. 


112 


THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 


The  box  was  of  lead,  about  a  quarter  of  an  inch  thick.  It  was  eight- 
een inches  long,  and  about  nine  inches  wide  and  ten  inches  deep.  On 
the.  front  and  on  one  end  was  the  letter  "C";  on  the  other  end  the 
letter  "  A,"  which  were  supposed  to  signify  "Cristoval  Colon,  Admiral." 

On  the  top  of  the  lid  were  the  letters  "D.  de  la  A.  Per  A."  interpreted 
"Descubridor  de  la  America  Primer  Almirante  "  (Discoverer  of  America, 
the  first  Admiral). 

On  the  under  side  of  the  lid  was  written  in  German  text,  "Ylletre  Y 
Esdo  Yaron,  Dr.  Cristoval  Colon  "  (Illustrious  and  renowned  man,  Don 
Christopher  Columbus). 

On  one  side  of  a  silver  plate,  which  appeared  at  one  time  to  have  been 
screwed  or  bolted  to  the  inside  of  the  box,  was  inscribed  "U  Cristoval 
Colon,"  which  is  supposed  to  mean  "Urna  Cristoval  Colon"  (The  coffin 
of  Christopher  Columbus). 

On  the  other  side  of  the  plate  were  the  words:  "Ua  pte  de  los  rtos  del 
pmer  Alte  D.  Cristoval  Colon  D."  which  are  deciphered  to  be  "Urna  per- 
teneciente  de  los  restos  del  primer  Almirante  Don  Cristoval  Colon  Des- 
cubridor," or  in  English,  "Urn  belonging  to  the  remains  of  the  first  Ad- 
miral, Christopher  Columbus,  Discoverer." 

509.     Photographs   of   the   bones    of   Columbus   in   the  leaden  casket   that 
encloses  them  in  this  Cathedral  of  Santo  Domingo. 

510a.     Fac-simile  of  the  casket  in  which  the  dust  of  Columbus  rests. 

The  finest  dust  was  carefully 
gathered  up  and  placed  in  a 
little  casket  of  gold  and  crystal, 
such  as  is  used  by  ladies  to 
keep  their  jewels  in, and  placed, 
back  in  the  lead  chest.  The 
latter  was  sealed  and  then  en- 
closed in  an  octagonal  case  of 
satin-wood  with  glass  panels, 
which  was  secured  with  three 
locks  to  which  the  Minister  of 
Public  Works,  the  archbishop 
and  the  governor  of  the  city 
have  the  keys.     The  case  was  The  coffin  of  Columbus, 

further  protected  by  broad  bands  of  white  ribbon,  sealed  with  wax,  and 
stamped  with  the  official  seals  of  the  three  officials  named,  so  that  it 
may  not  be  opened  without  the  consent  and  presence  of  all  of  them.  It 
was  then  placed  in  a  vault  at  the  left  of  the  altar. 

Once   each   year,  on  the  10th   of    September,  the  precious  casket  is 


THE    LAST    DAYS    OF    COLUMBUS. 


113 


Leaden  chest  and  casket  containing  Columbus'  dust. 


exposed  to  public  view  in  the  presence  of  the  officials  of  the  govern- 
ment, and  the  public,  when  high  mass  is  celebrated  by  the  archbishop 
for  the  repose  of  the  soul  of  the  great  discoverer 

510b.  Fac-simile  of  the  "Urna"  enclosing  the  casket  of  Columbus. 
The  people  of 
Havana  and  of 
Spain  still  insist 
that  the  genuine 
remains  of  Co- 
lumbus were 
transported  t  o 
the  former  city 
in  1795,  and  a 
very  earnest 
controversy  has 
been  continued 
from  1877  to  the 
present  day. 
Several  vol- 
umes have  been 
written    on    the 

subject,  the  most  important  of  which  is  a  report  of  the  Royal  Academy 
of  History  at  Madrid,  which,  at  the  request  of  the  late  King  of  Spain 
and  the  people  of  Havana,  made  an  investigation,  and  decided  in  favor 
of  the  claims  of  the  Cuban  capital.  The  whole  question  rests  upon  the 
integrity  of  the  inscriptions  on  the  casket  that  was  found  in  1877.  If 
they  are  genuine  the  Cathedral  of  Santo  Domingo  contains  the  bones  of 
Columbus. 

511.  Replica  of  doors  that    guard    the  cell  in  which  are  held  the  alleged 

remains  of  Columbus,  Cathedral  of  Santo  Domingo. 

These  doors  of  wood,  with  panels  reproduced  in  plaster,  are  exact 
duplications  of  those  in  the  chapel  of  Bastides,  now  containing  the  casket 
discovered  in  1877,  said  to  hold  the  ashes  of  Columbus.  The  panels  are 
beautiful  examples  of  wood-carving  of  the  sixteenth  century,  and  should 
be  valued  for  their  artistic  excellence  as  well  as  their  historic  associa- 
tions. The  chapel  is  at  the  left  of  the  high  altar,  on  the  side  opposite  to 
the  bovcdas,  or  vaults,  in  which  the  illustrious  remains  reposed  three 
hundred  and  fifty  years. 

512.  Portrait  of  Bartholomew  Columbus. 

By  Leopold  Flameng. 

Bartholomew,  the  brother  of  Christopher  Columbus,  went  to  Portugal 


114  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

some  years  before  Christopher  appeared  there,  and  made  his  living  sell- 
ing books  and  charts.  He  visited  France  and  England  in  the  interest 
of  his  brother's  project,  and  was  closely  identified  with  his  career.  He 
was  afterward  made  adelantado  of  Hispaniola,  and  died  in  1014. 


513.     Autograph   of   Bartholomew  Columbus-      /^y(C^  1e 


utograpn   01    oarmoiomew   LOiumDus.        'VfV'"  7p        1 
written  in  1508.  'JOO  t    Coiov^ 


(T-  -*~4 


514.  Portrait  of  Diego,  brother  of  Christopher  Columbus. 

Diego  Columbus  accompanied  his  brother  Christopher  on  his  second 
voyage,  was  placed  in  command  of  Isabella,  the  first  colony  established 
in  the  New  World,  and  carried  back  to  Spain  the  first  cargo  of  slaves. 

515.  Autograph    of    Don     Diego    Columbus, 

brother  of  Columbus,  written  in   1508. 

516.  Portrait  of  Diego  Columbus  as  a  boy. 

The  estates,  titles  and  dignities  of  Columbus  were  inherited  by  his  son 
Diego,  who  was  born  at  Lisbon  or  Madeira  about  1475.  When  the 
admiral  was  about  to  sail  on  his  first  voyage,  Queen  Isabella  made 
Diego  a  page  at  court,  and  although  his  father  intended  him  for  the 
priesthood,  he  remained  in  the  retinue  of  the  sovereigns,  leading  a  use- 
less and  dissolute  life.  Columbus  had  a  profound  fondness  for  the  boy, 
and  wrote  him  long  and  affectionate  letters  while  he  was  absent  on  his 
several  voyages,  many  of  which  have  been  preserved.  But  the  frivolities 
of  court  life  seem  to  have  absorbed  the  attention  of  Diego,  and  we  find 
his  father  frequently  complaining  of  his  lack  of  affection  for  and  neglect 
of  himself,  as  well  as  his  brother  Fernando.  "  You  ought  to  know," 
writes  the  grieved  father,  "that  I  have  little  pleasure  now  except  in  a  let- 
ter from  you."  At  another  time  he  says:  "If  you  had  ten  brothers  they 
would  not  be  too  many.  In  good  and  in  bad  fortune  I  have  never  found 
better  friends  than  my  own  brothers."* 

517.  Autograph  of  Don  Diego  Columbus,  son  of  Columbus. 

In  his  will  Columbus  made  Diego  his 
sole  heir,  but  imposed  upon  him  many 
pious  injunctions  and  obligations.  To 
most,  if  not  all  of  them,  he  was  totally 
indifferent.  And,  although,  while  he  was 
a  courtier  in  the  train  of  Ferdinand,  he 
did  little  or  nothing  to  secure  his  father's  rights  or  relieve  his  distress 

*The  original  letters  are  exhibited  in  the  chapel,  Nos.  939  to  948. 


THE    LAST    DAYS    OF    COLUMBUS. 


115 


5l8a. 


within  twelve  days  after  the  death  of  the  admiral  we  find  him  importuning 
the  King  for  the  official  recognition  and  pecuniary  dues  which  Columbus 
had  so  long  and  so  persistently  appealed,  and  to  which  he  was  entitled  by 
inheritance.  Ferdinand  permitted  him  to  bring  a  suit  which  was  decided 
in  favor  of  Diego,  but  it  was  not  until  after  his  marriage  with  Dona  Maria  de 
Toledo,  a  cousin  of  the  King  and  a  member  of  the  most  influential  family 
at  court,  that  the  verdict  was  satisfied,  and  then  only  partially.  Ferdi- 
nand awarded  him  an  eighth  of  the  royal  revenues  from  Hispaniola  and 
made  him  governor  of  that  province,  but  still  declined  to  make  him 
viceroy  of  the  Indies,  although  under  the  contract  made  with  the  sover- 
eigns by  Columbus  in  1492,  he  and  his  heirs  were  to  enjoy  that  rank  and 
its  authority  forever. 
Ruins  of  the  Palace  of  Diego  Columbus  at  Santo  Domingo. 


In  May,  1509,  three  years  after  the  death  of  his  father,  Diego  sailed  for 
Santo  Domingo  with  his  noble  wife,  his  two  uncles,  Diego  and  Bartholomew 
Columbus,  and  the  most  influential  and  wealthy  party  of  colonists  that  up 
to  this  time  had  started  for  the  New  World.  His  income  at  this  time  was 
very  large,  and  his  wife  had  large  properties  of  her  own,  which  enabled 
them  to  maintain  an  establishment  such  as  had  never  been  seen  in 
America. 

He  erected  what  was  considered  a  magnificent  palace,  the  ruins  of 
which  stand  opposite  Santo  Domingo  on  the  Ozama  river.  It  was  sus- 
pected that  Diego  intended  to  establish  an  independent  government,  and 
a  council  was  sent  over  to  restrain  him.  This  council  caused  the  erec- 
tion of  earth  works  across  the  river,  and  planted  the  largest  guns  that 
could  be  secured  to  destroy  the  palace  at  the  first  sign  of  insubordination 
on  his  part.     Years  afterward  the  fortress  fell  into  ruins,  and  the  guns, 


Il6  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

one  by  one,  tumbled  over  the  bank.  One  of  them,  after  lying  three 
hundred  and  eighty  years  in  the  sand,  was  recovered  and  brought  to 
Chicago. 

518b.  The  cannon  that  threatened  Diego  Columbus. 

519.  Autograph  letter  of  Diego  Columbus  to  Charles  V,  of  Spain. 

Don  Diego  proved  a  very  incompetent  executive  and  was  compelled 
to  make  many  journeys  to  Spain  to  explain  and  defend  his  official  con- 
duct:. He  appears  to  have  prospered  financially,  for  there  is  evidence 
that  in  1520  he  advanced  Charles  V  ten  thousand  golden  ducats  to  defray 
the  expenses  of  a  visit  to  Flanders,  and  his  generosity  seemed  to  have 
been  reciprocated  by  the  King,  who  immediately  dismissed  all  charges 
against  the  governor  and  made  him  viceroy  over  all  the  Indies,  a  recog- 
nition Diego  had  been  demanding  fourteen  years.  But  additional  rank 
and  responsibilities  only  increased  his  troubles,  and  in  the  midst  of  an 
investigation  that  lasted  more  than  two  years,  death  ended  his  tempestu- 
ous career  at  Montalvan,  Spain,  in  February,  1526. 

Diego  was  buried  beside  his  father  in  the  Monastery  of  Las  Cuevas, 
near  Seville,  and  the  remains  of  both  were  removed  to  the  Cathedral  of 
Santo  Domingo  a  few  years  later.  It  was  his  bones,  instead  of  those  of 
Christopher  Columbus,  that  the  people  of  Santo  Domingo  claim  were 
transported  to  Havana  in  1795. 

Diego  Columbus  left  his  widow  and  seven  children,  four  daughters 
and  three  sons.  Luis,  the  oldest  son,  and  heir  to  the  dignities  of  the 
family,  was  only  five  years  old.  Dona  Maria  demanded  recognition  as 
vice-queen  of  the  Indies,  and  regent  during  the  minority  of  Luis,  but 
the  honor  was  denied  her  and  she  returned  to  Spain,  where  for  fourteen 
years  she  pressed  her  claims  upon  the  emperor,  becoming  so  poor  that 
she  was  compelled  to  sell  her  jewels  and  then  lived  upon  the  charity  of 
Fernando,  the  illegitimate  brother  of  her  husband.  In  1541  she  had  the 
remains  of  Christopher  and  Diego  Columbus  removed  to  Santo  Domingo, 
where  she  lived  until  her  death  in  1549. 

In  his  last  will  and  testament,  dated  at  Santo  Domingo  city  in  1523, 
Diego  Columbus  writes: 

I,  Diego  Colon,  Viceroy,  Admiral  and  Governor  perpetual  of  these  Indies  and  terra' 
firma,  discovered  and  to  be  discovered,  of  the  ocean  sea;  legitimate  son  of  Don  Chris- 
tobal  Colon,  first  Viceroy  and  Admiral  and  Governor  pepetual  of  these  said  Indies 
and  terra  firma ;  and  of  Dona  Felipa  Munoz,  his  lawful  wife,  defunct  and  now  in  the 
keeping  of  God :  being  in  this  city  of  Santo  Domingo,  of  this  island  of  Hispaniola,  in 
my  own  house,  sane,  and  in  my  right  mind,  etc. 

520.  Sixteenth  century  anchor. 

Ancient  anchor,  extremely  old  type,  which  had  lain  in  the  mud  on  the 
east  bank  of  the  Ozama  river  for  centuries,  and  according  to  tradition 


THE    LAST    DAYS    OF    COLUMBUS. 


17 


was  the  property  of  Don  Diego  Colon,  son  of  Columbus.  It  lay  directly 
opposite  the  house  of  Colon,  and  there  is  no  reasonable  doubt  that  it 
once  belonged  either  to  Columbus  or  his  son.  It  was  obtained  by  Mr. 
Frederick  A.  Ober,  with  the  consent  of  the  Minister  of  War  and  the 
president  of  the  ayuntamiento,  or  city  council  of  the  city  of  Santo 
Domingo. 

521.  Beatriz  Enriquez  de  Arana,  mother  of  Fernando  Columbus. 

After  the  death  of  his  wife  and  his  arrival  in  Spain,  about  1486,  Colum- 
bus fell  in  love  with  Beatriz  Enriquez,  a  woman  of  good  family  of  Cor- 
dova. She  was  the  mother  of  his  son  Fernando,  and  survived  him, 
although  nothing  is  known  of  her  whereabouts  during  the  time  of  his 
attendance  at  the  court  of  Spain  and  while  he  was  absent  on  his  voy- 
ages. In  his  will  the  admiral  directs  his  son  Diego  to  "take  care  of 
Beatriz  Enriquez,  mother  of  Don  Fernando,  my  son;  supply  her  with  all 
that  can  enable  her  to  live  in  an  honorable  manner,  she  being  a  person 
to  whom  I  am  under  such  grave  obligations;  and  do  this  to  relieve  my 
conscience,  because  it  weighs  heavily  on  my  soul."  That  the  family  of 
Beatriz  found  no  fault  with  her  relations  to  Columbus,  is  inferred  from 
the  fact  that  her  brother  commanded  one  of  the  ships  during  his  third 
voyage. 

522.  House  formerly  occupied  by  Fernando  Columbus,  and  tree  grown  from 

a  seed  brought  by  Christopher  Columbus  from  the  New  World. 

Near  the  banks  of  the  Guadalquivir  river,  and  on  the  outskirts  of  the 
city  of  Seville,  Spain,  there  is  a  tree  marking  the  place  where  stood  the 
splendid  abode  of  Fernando  Columbus.  This  tree  is  said  to  have  grown 
from  a  shrub  brought  by  Christopher  Columbus  from  the  New  World. 

The  mansion  was  long  known  as  the  house  of  the  admiral,  although 
there  is  no  evidence  that  he  ever  lived  in  it;  but  it  was  occupied  by 
Fernando  Columbus  for  many  years,  and  until  his  death. 

Fernando,  or  Ferdinand,  the 
second  son  of  Columbus,  was 
born  about  1488.  We  know 
nothing  of  his  early  life,  but  in 
1502,  when  the  admiral  sailed 
on  his  last  voyage,  he  accompa- 
nied the  expedition.  Subse- 
quently he  was  appointed  a 
page  at  court,  where  he  ap- 
pears to  have  received  a  good 
education  and  acquired  a  liter- 
ary taste.  As  a  member  of  the 
retinue    of    Charles   V   he   ap  TheColumbu*  tree,  Seville. 


Il8  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

pears  to  have  been  a  favorite  with  that  monarch.  Fernando  traveled 
extensively  in  western  Europe,  and  not  only  learned  much  by  observa- 
tion, but  became  an  ardent  collector  of  books  in  all  languages.  Oviedo 
described  him  as  a  person  of  sweet  disposition,  affable  manners  and 
nobility  of  character. 

Although  Columbus  in  his  will  gave  the  greater  portion  of  his  estates 
to  Diego,  his  legitimate  son,  King  Ferdinand  awarded  to  Fernando  a 
considerable  amount  of  land  in  Santo  Domingo,  and  Charles  V  gave  him 
a  generous  pension,,  so  that  his  income  was  more  than  $30,000  a  year. 
There  is  no  evidence  that  he  ever  married  or  had  children,  for  at  his 
death,  in  1539,  he  left  all  his  property,  including  a  very  large  library,  to 
his  nephew  Luis,  the  son  of  Diego  Columbus.  This  library  was  one  cf 
the  most  notable  collections  of  books  in  Europe,  and  is  said  to  have 
contained  twenty  thousand  volumes,  which  were  mostly  obtained  between 
1510  and  1537.  Nearly  every  volume  in  the  collection  contained  a  mem- 
orandum giving  the  date  and  place  of  purchase,  and  affording  a  clue  to 
the  extent  and  direction  of  his  travels.  That  he  was  a  studious  reader  is 
shown  by  the  copious  annotations  made  upon  the  margins. 
523.     Autograph  of  Fernando  Columbus. 

Don  Luis  Columbus,  who  was  in  Santo 
Domingo  at  the  time,  appears  to  have 
cared  nothing  for  the  books.     He  allowed         s£$efi?**~.  d>o-  her* 


them  to  pass  into  the  control  of  the  monks  /fo  j       c[0  fe^ 


attached  to  the  Cathedral  at  Seville,  and 
by  royal  command  certain  manuscripts 
in  the  collection  were  placed  in  the 
national  archives  of  Spain.  Although  Fernando  left  a  legacy  for  the 
care  and  increase  of  the  library,  the  funds  appear  to  have  been  diverted 
to  other  uses,  and  the  precious  volumes  were  neglected  until  1832,  when 
it  was  found  that  the  principal  of  the  legacy  had  entirely  disappeared, 
and  two-thirds  of  the  collection  was  missing.  It  was  not  until  1885, 
when  Henry  Harrisse,  the  famous  Columbian  scholar,  called  public 
attention  to  the  outrage,  that  the  Spanish  government  ordered  the 
library  repaired  and  catalogued,  and  placed  in  proper  shelter  and  cus- 
tody at  Seville.  There  is  a  catalogue  of  the  collection  in  the  hand- 
writing of  the  owner,  which  shows  that  it  was  of  inestimable  value.  It 
appears,  also,  that  it  contained  a  manuscript  work  on  the  New  World  by 
Fernando  himself,  but  it  has  disappeared,  with  many  other  priceless 
manuscripts  and  printed  volumes. 

Fernando  Columbus  is  buried  in  the  Cathedral  at  Seville,  and  the 
resting  place  of  his  bones  is  covered  by  a  tablet  bearing  an  inscription, 
of  which  the  following  is  a  translation:     "Here  rests  the  most  rnagnifi- 


THE    LAST    DAYS    OF    COLUMBUS. 


19 


cent  Senor  Don  Fernando  Colon,  who  applied  and  spent  all  his  life  and 
estate  in  adding  to  the  letters,  and  collecting  and  perpetuating  in  this 
city  all  his  books,  of  all  the  sciences  which  he  found  in  his  time,  and  in 
reducing  them  to  four  books.  He  died  in  this  city,  on  the  12th  of  July, 
1539,  at  the  age  of  fifty  years,  nine  months  and  fourteen  days.  He  was 
son  of  the  valiant  and  memorable  Senor  Don  Christopher  Colon,  the  first 
admiral,  who  discovered  the  Indies  and  the  New  World,  in  the  lifetime 
of  their  Catholic  Majesties,  Don  Fernando  and  Dona  Isabel,  of  glorious 
memorv,  on  the  11th  of  October,  1492,  with  three  galleys  and  ninety  people, 
having  sailed  from  the  port  of  Palos  on  his  discovery  on  the  3d  of 
August  previous,  and  returned  to  Castile,  with  victory,  on  the  7th  of 
May  of  the  following  year.  He  returned  afterward  twice  to  people  that 
which  he  had  discovered.  He  died  in  Valladolid,  on  the  20th  of  August, 
1506,  aged— 

"  Entreat  the  Lord  for  them." 

Beneath  this  is  described,  in  a  circle,  a  globe,  presenting  the  western 
and  part  of  the  eastern  hemispheres,  surrounded  by  a  pair  of  compasses. 
Within  the  border  of  the  circle  is  inscribed: 
"A  Castilla  y  a  Leon. 
Mundo  Nuevo  dio  Colon." 

524.     Portrait  of  Don  Luis  Columbus. 

Luis  left  several  illegitimate  children,  but 

the  courts  decided  that  the  daughters  of  his 

first   wife   were   his   lawful    heirs.     One    of 

them  was  a  nun;  the  other,  Felipa,  claimed 

the    pension,    titles    and    estates,    but    her 

claims  were  contested  by  Diego  II,  a  son  of 

her    uncle    Cristoval.      Before     the     courts 

could   adjudicate   their   claims,   the    cousin 

settled    the    dispute    by    marriage.      They 

shared  the  honors  but  a  few  years,  and  died 

childless,  so  that  the  male  line  of  Columbus 

became    extinct    seventy    years     after     his 

death.  _.       T    .    ~  , 

Don  Luis  Lolon. 

525.     Portrait  of  Don  Pedro  Colon. 

Don  Pedro  Colon  de  Toledo  Baquedano  Larreategui  y  Quinones,  sen- 
ator of  the  Kingdom,  knight  of  the  Golden  Fleece,  grand  cross  of  Charles 
III,  and  of  Isabella  the  Catholic,  and  grand  officer  of  the  Legion  of  Honor, 
was  the  father  of  the  present  Duke  de  Veragua. 


120 


THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 


Then  followed  a  famous  lawsuit  which 
lasted  a  third  of  a  century  and  involved 
eight  contestants,  including  the  descend- 
ants of  Bartholomew,  the  brother  of 
Christopher,  and  those  of  his  father's 
brother.  Among  the  other  claimants 
was  Francesca,  the  oldest  daughter  of 
Diego  I,  to  whose  family  the  estates  and  titles  were  awarded  five  gener- 
ations later,  but  the  courts  decided  in  favor  of  Alvarode  Portugal,  Count 
of  Gelves,  a  son  of  Isabella,  the  sister  of  Luis.  He  died,  however,  before 
the  termination  of  the  suit,  and  his  heir,  Jorge  Alberto,  died  also,  so  that 
the  younger  son,  Nuno  de  Portugal,  inherited  the  honors  and  became 
Duke  of  Veragua.  From  him  the  title  descended  to  his  son  Alvaro 
Jacinto,  then  to  his  grandson  Pedro  Nuno,  next  to  Pedro  Manual,  and 
finally  to  Pedro  Nuno  who  died  in  1733,  and  the  male  line  of  descent 
again  became  extinct.  Then  occurred  another  long  and  notable  contest 
in  the  courts,  which  in  1790  reversed  the  decree  of  1664,  and  the  titles 
returned  again  to  the  family  of  Diego  I,  and  the  great-great-grandson  of 
Francesca,  his  elder  sister,  was  declared  Duke  of  Veragua. 

526.     Genealogy  of  the  Columbus  family  to  the  present  day. 

I.  Don  Diego  Colon  y  Melo, 
Duke  of  'Veragua  and  Marquis  of 
Jamaica,  was  the  oldest  son  of  Colum- 
bus. 

II.  Don  Louis  Colon  y  Toledo  in- 
herited the  preceding  titles,  and  was 
made  a  grandee  of  Spain,  and  given 
the  title  of  "Duke  de  la  Vega  dela 
Isla  Espanola  en  Santo  Domingo,"  by 
the  grace  of  Philip  II,  in  1557. 

III.  Don  Alvaro  de  Portugal  y 
Colon. 

IV.  Don  Nuno  Colon  de  Portu- 
gal. 

V.  Don  Alvaro  Jacinto  Colon  de 
Portugal. 

VI.  Don  Pedro  Nuno  de  Colon 
de  Portugal  y  Castro.  This  descendant 
added  to  the  titles  of  the  family  those 
of  Count  de  Gelves,  and  Marquis  de 
Villanizar.  He  was  Captain  General 
of  the  Armada  and  President  de  la 
Real  Audiencia  de  la  Nueva  Espana, 
and  he  was  decorated  with  the  Toison 
de  Oro. 


Donna  Inez  Colon. 


THE    LAST    DAYS    OF    COLUMBUS. 


121 


VII.  Don  Pedro  Manuel  de  Colon  de  Portugal  y  la  Cueva.  He  was  Mgestre  de 
Campo  de  los  Estados  de  Flandes,  General  of  the  Army  in  Catalonia;  Governor  and 
Captain  General  of  Galicia  and  Ticeroy  of  Sicily. 

VIII.  Don  Pedro  Manuel  Colon  de 
Portugal  y  Ayala.  He  added  to  the  fam- 
ily titles  those  of  Marquis  de  la  Mota  y 
San  Leonardo  and  Count  of  Ayala  y  Villa- 
lonso.  He  was  Viceroy  of  Navarra  and  of 
Cerdena,  Dean  of  the  Consejo  de  la 
Guerra,  and  Secretary  of  State  in  the  office 
of  the  Minister  of  the  Navy  of  Philip  V. 

IX.  Dona  Catalina  Ventura  y  Colon 
de  Portugal  y  Ayala. 

X.  Don  Jacobo  Francisco  Eduardo 
Fitzjames  Stuart  y  Colon  de  Portugal. 
He  was  Duke  of  Veragua,  of  Liria,  of 
Jerica  y  Berwick,  Count  of  Gelves,  Fin- 
mouth,  Ayala,  etc.  j 

XL  Don  Mariano  Colon  de  Toledo  y 
Larreategui  Jimenes  de  Embrion,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Consejo  de  Castilla,  and  Presi- 
dent of  the  Consejo  de  Hacienda.  He  ob- 
tained the  grand  cross  of  Charles  III  and 
of  Isabella  Catolica.  Mother  of  the  Duke  of  Veragua 


527. 
528. 
529. 

530. 


XII.  Don  Pedro  Colon  de  Toleda  Baquedano  Lar- 
reategui y  Quinones,  Senator,  Cavalier  of  the  Toison  de 
Oro,  grand  cross  of  Charles  III  and  Isabel,  and  grand 
officer  of  the  Legion  de  Honor.  He  was  the  father  of  the 
present  Duke  of  Veragua,  called - 

XIII.  Don  Cristobal  Colon  de  Toledo  de  la  Cerda  y 
Gante,  who  studied  law  in  the  University  of  Madrid, 
and  has  held  important  positions,  national  and  even  in- 
ternational. He  is  a  man  of  great  courtesy  and  sociabil- 
ity. Although  not  a  sailor  or  soldier,  he  is  entitled  to 
wear  the  uniform  of  an  admiral. 

Dona  Catalina  de  la  Cerda. 
Dona  Ana  Mendoza  de  la  Cerda. 
Portrait  of  the  great-grandmother  of  the  Duke 
of  Veragua. 

Portrait  of  the  great-great-grandmother  of  the 
Duke  of  Veragua,  Dona  Guillerma  Remirez 
de  Baquedano. 


Don  Mariano  Colon. 


122 


THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 


531.  Decree  of  the  King  conferring  certaintitles  upon    Luis,    grandson  of 

Columbus,  in  exchange  for  which  the  latter  forfeited  all  claims  upon 

the  sovereigns  of  Spain. 

Luis  Columbus  inherited  all  the  vices  of  Diego,  his  father,  and  they 
developed  early  in  his  life.  During  his  minority  Santo  Domingo  was 
governed  by  the  Council,  or  Audiencia,  and  when  he  became  of  age  he 
surrendered  all  his.  claims  upon  the  Crown  of  Spain  for  an  annual  pen- 
sion of  ten  thousand  ducats,  an  estate  twenty-five  leagues  square,  and 
the  following  group  of  titles:  "Duke  of  Veragua  (Honduras),  Marquis  of 
Jamaica,  Grand  Admiral  of  the  Indies,  Mayor  Adelantado  of  the  other 
Colonies,  and  a  Grandee  of  Spain  of  the  first  class."  He  then  returned 
with  his  mother  to  Santo  Domingo  as  Captain  General,  with  an  Audi- 
encia to  guide  his  official  acts,  and  spent  some  time  in  Honduras,  but  he 
never  attempted  to  exercise  the  duties  of  his  office,  and  in  1556  he  was 
deprived  of  several  of  his  titles,  and  had  his  pension  cut  down  to  seven 
thousand  ducats.  His  life  was  scandalous,  and  in  1558  he  was  arrested 
for  having  three  wives.  He  was  convicted,  spent  five  years  in  prison, 
and  was  then  banished  to  Africa,  where  he  died  in  1572. 

532.  Autograph  of  Don  Luis  Columbus. 


533.  Portrait  of  Dona  Inez  Colon,  grand- 

mother of  the  Duke  of  Veragua. 

534.  Portrait  of  Don  Mariano  Colon. 

Don  Mariano  Colon  de  Toledo  y 
Larreategui  Jimenez  de  Embrion,  of 
the  Council  of  Castile,  President  of 
Hacienda  and  with  honors  the  of  State, 
pleaded  against  the  house  of  Liria  and 
inherited,  by  a  judgment  against  that 
house,  the  titles  of  Veragua.  He  ob- 
tained the  grand  cross  of  Carlos  III, 
and  of  Isabella  the  Catholic. 


Great-great-grandmother  of  the  Duke  of 


THE    LAST    DAYS    OF    COLUMBUS. 


23 


Duke  of  Veragua. 


I24 


THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 


535.     Portrait  of  the  father  of  the 

Duke  of  Veragua 

In  the  existing  family  the 
blood  of  Columbus  mingles 
with  that  of  the  Basques,  the 
hardiest  race  in  Spain, from  a 
province  that  has  produced 
the  best  stock  in  the  King- 
dom, and  is  gifted  with  enter- 
prise, industry  and  genius. 
They  have  been  prominent  in 
commercial,social  and  politi- 
cal affairs,  active  in  philan- 
thropy, and  prominent  in 
every  great  national  under- 
taking. 


Father  of  the  Duke  of  Veragua. 

536.  Portrait  of  the  mother  of  the    Duke  of  Veragua. 

537.  Portrait  of  Don  Cristobal  Colon  de  la  Cerda,  present  Duke  of  Veragua. 

Direct  descendant  of  Columbus  in  the 
thirteenth  generation. 

Don  Cristobal  Colon  de  la  Cerda, 
Duke  of  Veragua,  Marquis  of  Jamaica, 
Adelantado  Mayor  of  the  Indies,  the 
living  representative  of  Columbus  in 
Spain,  was  born  June  8,  1837,  in  Madrid. 
He  was  educated  at  the  Central  Univer- 
sity, Madrid,  where  he  received  the 
decree  of  Doctor  of  Civil,  and  Canonical 
Laws.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of 
Spain,  has  been  Minister  of  Public  Works, 
and  held  other  positions  in  the  Ministry, 
and  is  a  gentleman  of  great  learning  and 
influence.  He  lives  in  a  beautiful  palace 
in  Calle  de  Mateo,  Madrid,  and  possesses 
a  library  and  art  collection  that  are 
famous  all  over  Europe.      He  has   large 


Mother  of  the  Duke  of  Veragua. 
estates  near   Toledo,    where 


he  raises  fighting  bulls,  which  are    most  popular  in  the  bull-rings  of 


THE    LAST    DAYS    OF    COLUMEUS. 


125, 


Spain.     He  has  a  son,  Don  Cristoval  Colon   de  la  Cerda  y  Aguilera,  who 
was  born  in  1878,  and  will  succeed  to  his  titles  and  estates. 

538.  Fernando  Colon,  Marquis  de  Barboles,  brother  of  the  Duke  of  Veragua. 

539.  Residence  of  the    Duke  of  Veragua,  Madrid,  Spain. 
The    residence   of    the 

Duke  of  Veragua  is  one 

of    the  finest  palaces    in 

the  city  of  Madrid,  and  is 

furnished     in     the    most 

sumptuous  manner.    The 

duke  also  has  a  large 
estate  near  the  city  of  Toledo,  on 
which  is  his  stock  farm  for  the  raising 
of  bulls  for  the  ring. 

540.  Grand  stairway  in  the    residence   of 

Duke  of  Veragua,   Madrid,   Spain. 

A  friend  of  the  Duke  of  Veragua 
furnishes  the  following  sketch  of  his 
character  and  career  : 

He  is  a  person  of  the  most  highly  finished 
education,  by  nature  distinguished,  of  refined 
and  agreeable  manner,  of  recognized  talent 
and  extensive  knowledge,  of  liberal  ideas 
and  of  independent  character. 

He  is  one  of  the  most  democratic  and 
hard-working  of  the  nobility,  very  learned  in 
agriculture  and  stock  raising,  having  suc- 
ceeded in  making  his  stock  farm  of  fighting 
bulls  the  first  in  Spain.  He  is  beloved  by  all 
the  social  classes,  popular  by  his  tastes  and  by 
his  simplicity.  > 


He  took  no  notable  part  in  politics  until  after  the  revolution  of  September  IfifiS  *nrf 
then  joined  the  Radical  party,  whose  chief  was  Don  Manuel  Ruis  Zorrilla  At  this 
time  he  was  elected  deputy  in  the  Cortes  for  the  District  of  Arevalo,  twice  in  succes 
sion,  and  afterward  was  Vice-President  of  the  House  of  Deputies.    When  Don  Alfonzo" 


126  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

XII  was  proclaimed  King,  hie  was  elected  deputy  for  Puerto  Rico,  and  after  the  pro- 
mulgation of  the  constitution,  which  to-day  rules  in  Spain,  he  took  his  seat  in  the 
Senate  as  a  senator  in  his  own  right,  by  reason  of  his  being  Grandee  of  Spain  of  the 
first  class,  according  to  Article  XXI  of  said  constitution.  In  the  Senate,  although  with- 
out ceasing  to  be  a  monarchist,  he  always  voted  with  the  Liberal  opposition;  but  re- 
maining free  from  all  political  engagements,  and  preserving  his  liberty  of  action.  On 
the  dissolution  of  the  Radical  party,  he  recognized  as  chief  Don  Proxedes  Mateo 
Sagasta,  and  under  his  presidency  accepted  the  portfolio  of  the  Ministry  of  Fomento 
(Public  Works),  an  ofnca  which  he  filled  satisfactorily  from  the  21st  of  January  to  the 
5th  of  July,  1890. 

During  his  administration  of  the  ministry  he  founded  the  Royal  Bureau  cf  the  Insti- 
tute and  Schools  of  Agriculture, brought  before  the  Cortes  the  law  of  Secondary 
Railroads,  dictated  suitable  rules  for  the  applications  of  books  and  works  of  art; 
proposed  that  there  should  be  set  aside  a  sum  for  the  restoration  of  the  Alcazar 
of  Segovia;  and  adopted  energetic  measures  to  cause  the  town  corporations  to  pay  the 
back  salaries  of  the  school  teachers. 

He  signs  as  his  short  signature:    "  Veragua,''  and  as  his  full  signature: 
"  Y  -  Ch.istobal  Colon  de  la  Cerda." 

541.  Ancient  tapestry  in  the  residence  of  the  Duke  of  Veragua,  showing  the 

coat-of-arms  of  the  family. 

542.  Autograph  letter  of  Diego  Colon  to  Emperor  Charles  V,  claiming  the 

rights  granted  to  his  father. 

543.  The  Grand  Duke  of  Alba,  Don  Fernando  Alvarez  de  Toledo. 

544.  City  gate  of  Santo  Domingo. 

545.  Facade  of  the  San  Telmo  Palace  of  Fernando  and  Isabella  at  Seville. 


RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS.  12? 


SECTION  K.  THE  RELICS  OF  COLUMBUS. 


551.  The  autographs  of  Columbus.* 

Columbus  was  a  very  voluminous  writer,  and  ninety-seven  formal 
documents  from  his  pen  either  exist  or  are  known  to  have  existed.  He 
may  have  written  many  more,  for  his  reputation  in  this  respect  was  such 
as  to  cause  the  court  jester  of  Charles  V  to  say  that  he  and  Ptolemy,  the 
Egyptian  geographer,  "were  twins  in  the  art  of  blotting."  Another  con- 
temporary, Zufiiga,  in  a  letter  to  the  Marquis  de  Pescara,  says:  "God 
grant  that  Gutierrez  may  never  come  short  for  paper,  for  he  writes  more 
than  Ptolemy,  and  more  than  Columbus,  who  discovered  the  Indies." 
Of  his  papers,  however,  but  sixty-four  are  preserved  entire.  These  con- 
sist of  letters  descriptive  of  his  plans,  and  arguments  to  sustain  his 
theories  concerning  a  western  passage  to  the  Indies,  memorials  to  the 
court,  narratives  of  his  voyage  and  personal  memoirs.  Twenty-five 
manuscripts,  either  wholly  or  in  part  in  his  own  hand,  are  still  preserved 

552.  The  signature  of  Columbus.* 

The  signature  or  rubric  of  Columbus  which  appears  at  the  close  of  all 
of  his  communications,  as  the  sign  of  the  cross  appears  at  the  beginning, 
has  never  been  satisfactorily  interpreted.  It  was  the  custom  in  his  time 
for  men  of  importance  to  adopt  sign  manuals  of  a  singular  sort,  as  they 
adopted  mottoes  for  their  escutcheons,  which  had  some  apparent  or  con- 
cealed significance.     The  signs  used  by  Columbus 

S. 
•       S.   A.    S. 
X.  M.  Y. 
Xpo  Ferens. 
are  generally  interpreted  to  mean  "Servus  Suplex  Altissimi  Salvatoris 
Christus  Maria  Yosef,"  which  in  English  reads,  "  The  humble  servant  of 
Christ,  the  Supreme  Saviour,  Mary  and  Joseph,  Christ-bearer."     Others 
render  it  in  Spanish,  "Servidor  sus  altezas,  Sacras  Christo  Maria  Ysabel," 
which  means  "I  am  the  servant  of  the  three  Highnesses,  the  Sacred 
Christ,  Mary  and  Isabella,  Christ-bearer."    The  last  line  was  often  written 
by  Columbus  "Christo  Ferens,"  and  several  signatures  appear  without  it, 
and  "El  Almirante"  (the  Admiral)  instead.     These  were  written  after  his 
appointment   as   admiral    in   the    Spanish   navy.      The    most   plausible 
rendering    of    the    signs     seems    to    be,    Salvo    Sanctum    Supulcrum 
Xriste  Maria  Yesus  Xristo  Ferens. 

*See  autograph  letters  exhibited  in  the  chapel. 


128  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

553.     Autograph  letter  of  Columbus  to  the  Catholic  Kings. 


ritUfW  altOf  ft?**    »9Ct»ft*l  p^^W^^t Cttt*4^Ul^ v 

>cou<?tf*7V  tmi^o^  Sco^tf  fc*-**  **       acre  W$c(co  • 
y<\1l9 nutirA  vtyvMHKup>  (*^$\u*m2  ^xaMttj;*  ^«»*< 


Letter  of  Cristobal  Colon  to  the  Catholic  Kings,  setting  forth  some 
observations  on  the  art  of  navigation,  Granada,  February  6, 1504. 

Most  High  and  Mighty  Kings  and  Lords: 

I  desire  to  be  the  cause  of  pleasure  and  entertainment  to  Your  Highnesses,  and  not 
of  pain  and  digust;  but  since  the  pleasure  and  delight  attach  to  new  things  of  any  in- 
terest, I  shall  speak  of  each  in  compliance  with  your  commands  as  they  come  to  my 
memory  ;  and  assuredly  they  will  not  be  judged  by  their  carelessness  of  expression,  but 
by  my  good  intentions  and  desires,  that  in  all  things  I  may  be  of  service  to  Your  High- 
nesses to  state  only  that  which  has  occurred  to  myself  ;  and  although  my  strength  fail 
me  and  my  fatigue  overpower  me,  my  will,  as  the  most  obliged  and  indebted  of  per- 
sons, shall  not  be  wanting  in  my  soul. 

Navigators  and  others  who  trade  by  sea  always  have  a  superior  knowledge  of  par- 
ticular parts  of  the  world  in  which  they  move  and  have  common  intercourse,  and  for 
this  reason  each  one  of  them  is  better  informed  concerning  that  which  he  sees  daily 
than  any  others  who  may  go  thither  from  year  to  year;  and  for  this  reason  we  receive 
with  pleasure  the  relations  which  they  themselves  make  of  what  they  have  seen  and 
gathered,  as  certainly  we  gain  most  perfect  instruction  from  that  which  we  learn  by 
our  own  experience. 

If  we  consider  the  world  spherical,  as  many  writers' have  declared  it  their  opinion  to 
be,  or  science  causes  us  to  believe  otherwise  on  its  authority,  it  must  not  be  supposed 
that  the  temperature  is  equal  in  any  parallel,  since  its  diversity  is  as  great  on  the  sea  as 
on  the  land. 

The  sun  diffuses  its  influence  and  the  earth  receives  it  according  to  the  concave 
surfaces  on  mountains  which  are  framed  in  it,  and  even  the  ancients  have  written 
enough  on  this  subject,  as  Pliny  also,  who  says  that  under  the  north  (see  Note  1)  the 


RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS.  I2g 

temperature  is  so  mild  that  the  people  who  live  there  never  die  except  from  vexation 
and  disgust  with  life,  and  that  they  suffocate  and  destroy  themselves. 

Here  in  Spain  we  find  a  variety  of  temperature  so  great  that  there  is  no  need  of  testi- 
mony from  an  early  age  of  the  world.  We  see  here  in  Granada  the  mountains  covered 
with  snow  all  the  year  around,  an  evidence  of  great  cold,  while  at  the  foot  of  the  same 
mountain  chain  are  the  Alpujarras,  where  'the  temperature  is  always  mild,  without 
excessive  heat  or  cold;  and  as  it  is  in  this  province,  so  it  is  among  others  in  Spain 
which  it  would  be  prolixity  to  name.  I  say  that  on  the  sea  the  same  thing  happens, 
especially  in  proximity  with  the  land,  and  this  is  better  known  to  those  who  constantly 
trade  there  than  to  those  who  trade  in  other  regions. 

In  the  summer,  and  certainly  in  Andalusia,  every  day  the  sun  is  high,  and  the  land 
and  sea  breezes  blow  alternately,  and  that  which  comes  from  the  west  is  soft  wind  and 
lasts  till  evening,  and  in  the  same  manner  that  this  wind  holds  sometime  in  this  region 
so  other  winds  blow  in  other  parts  and  regions  in  summer  and  in  winter.  Those  who 
constantly  go  from  Cadiz  to  Naples  know  already  that  when  they  pass  the  coast  of 
Catalonia  what  wind  they  will  find  there,  according  to  the  season,  and  also  those  who 
go  to  the  Gulf  of  Narbonne.  Those  who  wish  to  go  from  Cadiz  to  Naples,  if  it  be 
winter  time,  go  in  sight  of  the  Cape  of  Creo,  in  Catalonia,  by  the  Gulf  of  Narbonne. 
There  the  wind  is  very  troublesome,  and  sometimes  vessels  must  yield  and  are  obliged 
to  run  before  it  as  far  as  Berueria,  and  for  this  reason  they  oftener  go  to  Cape  Creo  to 
keep  close  to  the  wind  and  reach  the  shelter  of  the  Pomegas  of  Marsella,  or  the  Islands 
of  Eros,  and  never  leave  the  coast  until  they  arrive  at  their  destination.  If  they  have 
to  go  from  Cadiz  to  Naples  in  the  summer  time,  they  sail  by  the  coast  of  Berueria  as  far 
as  Cerdena,  or  in  the  same  manner  as  has  been  said  of  the  other  north  coast.  Some  men 
are  designated  from  their  voyages,  who  have  so  often  made  them  that  they  know  well 
these  routes  and  the  changes  of  wind  which  may  be  expected  according  to  the  season  of 
the  year  in  which  they  are.  Commonly  to  these  men  is  given  the  name  of  the  greater 
pilots,  as  on  the  land  to  the  commander  of  an  army;  so  much  so  that  one  who  knows 
perfectly  the  road  takes  his  command  to  Fontarabia  would  not  know  it  from  here  to 
Liberia.  The  same  upon  the  sea;  some  are  pilots  of  Flanders  and  others  of  the  Levant, 
and  of  the  country  he  most  frequents. 

The  trade  and  travel  from  Spain  to  Flanders  is  greatly  prosecuted,  and  great  mariners 
are  engaged  m  it.  In  Flanders  in  the  month  of  January  all  the  ships  are  despatched  to 
return  to  their  countries,  and  in  this  month  it  rarely  happens  that  there  is  not  a  stretch 
of  wind  either  from  the  northeast  or  north-northeast.  These  winds  at  this  time  of  year 
do  not  blow  gently,  but  strong  and  cold,  and  are  even  dangerous;  the  distances  from 
the  land  and  the  character  of  the  earth  are  the  cause  which  occasion  this.  These  winds 
are  not  steady,  even  though  the  weather  may  not  have  this  fault;  those  who  sail  with 
them  are  persons  who  take  their  chances,  and  most  often  arrive  with  their  hands  in 
their  hair.  If  the  easterly  breeze  fail  them  and,  nay,  other  wind  blow  hard,  they  must 
make  the  ports  of  France  or  England  until  another  tide  allows  them  to  leave  those 
ports. 

Sea-faring  men  are  covetous  of  money  and  eager  to  return  to  their  homes,  and 
venture  everything  without  waiting  for  the  weather  to  settle.  As  it  was  in  my  chamber 
on  another  occasion,  I  shall  inform  Youir  Highnesses  of  what  is  but  for  the  security  of 
this  navigation,  which  should  be  undertaken  when  the  sun  is  in  Taurus,  and  be  aban- 
doned in  the  heaviest  and  most  dangerous  season  of  the  winter.  If  the  winds  favor  the 
crossing  is  very  slack;  no  departure  should  be  made  until  the  voyage  seems  assured,  and 
this  can  be  best  judged  of  when  the  sky  is  very  clear  and  the  wind  blows  from  the  north 
star  and  holds  north  always  rather  stiffly.  Your  Highnesses  know  well  what  happened 
the  year  ninety-seven,  when  they  suffered  so  in  Burgos  from  the  duration  of  the  severe 
weather  and  the  wind  which  followed,  to  escape  which  they  went  so  Soria;  and  all  the 


130  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

court  having  left  on  Saturday,  Your  Highnesses  remained  to  leave  on  Monday,  and  that 
to  a  courier  sent  to  me  that  night  I  replied  in  a  written  answer,  which  I  sent  to  Your 
Highnesses  that  day,  that  the  wind  would  begin  to  blow  the  next  day,  that  the  fleet 
ought  not  to  sail,  but  to  hold  on  until  the  wind  strengthened,  and  should  leave  on 
Monday,  and  that  on  Thursday  it  would  be  as  far  as  the  Island  of  Huict,  and  if  it  did 
not  put  in  there  it  would  be  in  Laredo  the  next  Monday,  or  else  the  science  of  naviga- 
tion was  lost.  This  writing  of  mine,  with  the  desire  to  await  the  arrival  of  the  Prin- 
cess, induced  Your  Highnesses  to  change  their  intentions  not  to  go  to  Soria,  and  to  test 
the  judgment  of  the  sailor;  and  on  Monday  a  ship  appeared  off  Laredo,  which  did  not 
go  into  Huict  because  it  holds  but  few  ships.    [See  Note  2.] 

There  are  many  opinions,  and  there  always  have  been  on  land  and  sea,  as  to  the 
course  to  be  pursued  in  similar  cases,  and  to-day  there  are  many  other  discovered 
islands;  and  if  that  route  is  already  known,  those  who  have  to  trade  back  and  forth  there, 
with  the  perfection  of  instruments  and  construction  of  ships,  will  have  a  better  knowl- 
edge of  the  land  and  winds  and  seasons  most  favorable  to  take  advantage  of,  and  have 
hope  for  the  security  of  their  lives. 

May  the  Holy  Trinity  defend  Your  Highnesses,  for  we  have  desire  and  need  to  keep 
Your  Highnesses  with  all  their  great  estates  and  lordships. 

From  Granada,  the  sixth  of  February,  fifteen  hundred  and  two. 

.S. 

S.  A.  S. 

X.  M.  Y. 

Xpo  FEREN8. 

554.     Photograph  from  the  original  letter  of  Columbus  to  the   Bank  of  St. 

George,  preserved  in  the  Municipal  Palace,  Genoa. 

Before  starting  upon  his  fourth  and  last  voyage,  in  the  spring  of  1502, 
infirm  in  health  and  with  impaired  confidence  in  his  sovereigns  and  the 
Council  of  the  Indies,  which  had  treated  him  so  shamefully,  Columbus 
sent  copies  of  all  his  important  papers  to  Genoa,  his  birthplace  and  the 
home  of  his  family.  He  entrusted  all  his  contracts,  privileges  and  com- 
missions to  Nicolo  de  Oderigo,  the  Genoese  Ambassador  to  the  Spanish 
Court,  to  be  deposited  in  trust  with  the  Bank  of  St.  George,  which  was  to 
the  commercial  world  in  those  days  what  the  Bank  of  England  is  to-day. 
He  addressed  to  the  governors  of  that  bank  the  following  letter: 
High,  Noble  Lords: 

Although  the  body  walks  about  here,  the  heart  is  constantly  over  there.  Our  Lord 
conferred  upon  me  the  greatest  favor  ever  granted  to  any  since  David.  The  results  of 
my  undertaking  already  appear,  and  would  shine  greatly  were  they  not  concealed  by 
the  blindness  of  the  government.  I  am  going  to  the  Indies  again  under  the  auspices 
of  the  Trinity,  soon  to  return; and  since  I  am  mortal,  I  leave  it  with  my  son  Diego  that 
you  receive  every  year,  forever,  one-tenth  of  the  entire  [  revenue,  such  as  it  may  be,  for 
the  purpose  of  reducing  the  tax  upon  corn,  wine  and  other  provisions.  If  that  tenth 
amounts  to  something  collect  it.  If  not,  at  least  take  the  will  for  the  deed.  1  beg  you 
to  entertain  regard  for  the  son  I  have  recommended  to  you.  Mr.  Nicolo  de  Oderigo 
knows  more  about  my  own  affairs  than  I  do  myself,  and  I  have  sent  by  him  the  tran- 
scripts of  my  privileges  and  letters  for  safekeeping.  1  should  be  glad  if  you  would 
keep  them.  My  lords,  the  King  and  Queen,  endeavored  to  honor  more  than  ever.  May 
the  Holy  Trinity  preserve  you  noble  persons  and  increase  the  most  magnificent  House 
(of  St.  George).' 


RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS.  I3I 

Done  in  Seville  on  the  second  day  of  April,  1502.  The  Chief  Admiral  of  the  Ocean, 
Viceroy  and  Governor-General  of  the  islands  and  continents  of  Asia  and  the 
Indies,  of  my  lords  the  King  and  Queen,  their  Captain-General  of  the  Sea,  and 
of  their  Councils. 

S. 

S.  A.  S. 

X.  M.  Y. 

Xpo  FERENS. 

555.  Enlarged   fac-simile   of  the   letter    of    Columbus   to   the  Bank  of  St. 

George. 

556.  Photograph    of  the   original   letter   of  Columbus   to    Nicolo   Oderigo, 

Genoese  Ambassador  to  the  Court  of  Spain. 

Original  preserved  in  the  Municipal  Palace,  Genoa,  dated  March  21, 
1502. 

The  letter  to  Nicolo  Oderigo  was  as  follows: 

Sir  :  The  solicitude  in  which  you  have  left  us  can  not  be  described.  I  gave  Micer 
Francis  de  Ribarol  the  book  containing  my  deeds  (or  grants,  or  concessions)  and  also 
copies  of  the  letters  and  messages  sent  to  me;  and  I  pray  you,  as  a  great  favor  to  me,  to 
write  to  Don  Diego  and  inform  him  of  the  place  in  which  you  keep  those  documents, 
and  the  use  you  make  of  them.  A  duplicate  of  all  of  them  will  be  made,  and  sent  to 
you  in  the  same  way  and  through  the  same  channel  of  Francisco.  You  will  find 
there  a  new  concession.  Their  Highnesses  promise  therein,  as  you  will  see,  to  give  me 
all  that  belongs  to  me,  and  put  Don  Diego  in  possession  thereof.  I  have  written  to 
Micer  Juan  Luys,  and  to  Madam  Madona  Catalina  the  letter  I  enclose.  I  shall  start  out, 
in  the  name  of  the  Most  Holy  Trinity,  with  a  good  equipment,  at  the  first  moment  of 
good  weather.  If  Jerome  de  Santi  Esteban  comes,  he  must  wait  for  me,  and  not  to 
commit  himself  to  anything;  because  they  will  try  to  get  out  of  him  all  that  they  can, 
and  afterward  they  will  leave  him  in  the  cold.  Let  him  come  here,  and  the  King  and 
Queen  will  entertain  him  until  I  come. 

May  our  Lord  keep  you  in  His  holy  guard. 

I  am  for  what  you  may  order, 

Your  servant, 
X.  M.  Y. 
Xpo  FERENS. 

Done  on  the  21st  of  March,  at  Seville,  1502. 

557.  Photograph   of   the   original  letter   of   Columbus   to    Nicolo   Oderigo, 

Genoese   Ambassador   to   the    Court  of  Spain,  dated  December  27, 

1504. 

Original  preserved  in  the  Municipal  Palace,  Genoa. 

In  1504,  after  his  return  from  his  last  voyage,  having  heard  nothing 
from  the  bank  or  from  Oderigo  about  these  documents,  he  writes  the  fol- 
lowing indignant  letter: 

Virtuous  Sir  :  When  I  started  on  my  voyage  to  the  places  from  where  I  have  just 
come,  I  spoke  at  length  with  you.  1  understand  that  you  remember  well  all  that  then 
was  said. 


132  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

When  returning  here,  I  was  in  hopes  to  find  some  letters  from  you,  or  some  messenger 
who  would  tell  me  verbally  something  in  your  name. 

At  about  the  same  time  of  my  departure  from  here,  I  sent  to  you  by  Francisco  de 
Ribarol,  a  book  containing  copies  of  several  letters,  and  another  in  which  all  tho  grants 
and  privileges  given  me  were  also  copied,  the  whole  inclosed  in  a  red  morocco  case, 
with  a  silver  lock  I  also  sent  with  the  same  men,  two  letters  for  the  St.  George  gentle- 
men, in  which  I  assigned  to  them  the  tenth  of  my  revenue,  in  consideration  of  and  com- 
pensation for  the  reduction  made  on  the  duties  on  wheat  and  the  other  supplies.  To 
nothing  of  this  I  have  had  any  reply.  Micer  Francisco  says  that  everything  arrived 
safely.  If  this  is  the  case,  the  failure  of  the  St.  George  gentlemen  to  answer  my  letters 
is  an  act  of  discourtesy,  for  which  the  treasury  is  by  no  means  better  off.  This  is  the 
reason  why  it  is  generally  said  that  to  serve  common  people  is  serving  no  one. 
Quieu  6irve  a  comun,  no  sirve  a  niugun. 

Another  book  of  my  privileges,  equal  to  the  one  above  mentioned,  was  left  by  me  at 
Cadiz,  with  Franco  Catanio  (who  is  the  bearer  of  this  letter)  with  instructions  (o  send  it 
to  you— in  order  that  you  would  keep  it,  together  with  the  other,  in  some  safe  place,  at 
your  discretion. 

At  the  time  of  my  departure  I  received  a  letter  from  the  King  and  Queen,  my  Lord 
and  Lady.  It  was  written  there.  Look  at  it,  and  you  will  find  it  very  good.  Never- 
theless, Don  Diego  was  not  given  possession,  as  it  was  promised. 

While  I  was  in  the  Indies  I  wrote  to  their  Highnesses,  through  three  or  four  channels, 
about  my  voyage.  One  of  these  letters  came  back  to  me,  and  sealed  as  it  was.  I 
enclose  it  in  this  and  send  it  to  you.  In  another  letter  I  enclose  also  a  supplement  to  the* 
above  description  of  my  voyage,  and  I  pray  you  to  give  both  to  Micer  Juan  Luis,  to 
whom  I  also  have  written  and  said  that  you  will  be  the  reader  and  interpreter  of  the 
said  letters. 

I  am  anxious  to  hear  from  you,  especially  about  the  plan  we  agree  to. 

I  arrived  here  very  sick,  and  about  the  time  in  which  the  Queen,  my  Lady  (whom  God 
has  with  Him)  died,  and  I  could  not  see  her. 

Up  to  the  present  it  is  impossible  for  me  to  tell  you  what  will  be  the  practical  result 
of  all  my  doings.  I  suppose  that  Her  Highness  has  properly  provided  in  her  will  for 
everything  concerning  this  matter,  and  the  King,  my  lord,  always  gives  good  answers. 

Franco  Catanio  will  verbally  explain  to  you  at  length  all  the  rest. 

May  Our  Lord  keep  you  in  His  guard. 

From  Seville,  December  27,  1504. 

S. 

S.    A.    S. 

X.    M.    Y. 

Xro  FERENS. 

Great  Admiral  of  the  Ocean,  Viceroy  and  Governor-General  of  the  Indies, 

558.     Enlarged    fac-simile   of  the   letter   of    Columbus   to    Nicolo   Oderigo, 
December  27,  1504. 

The  letters  sent  by  Columbus  to  the  Bank  of  St.  George  were  duly- 
entered  upon  the  records  of  that  institution.  The  original  entry  can  still 
be  read  in  the  handwriting  of  the  Chancellor,  on  pages  256  and  257  of 
the  "Manuale,"  in  1503.  In  1829  the  precious  documents  called  the 
Codice  Diplomatico  were  transferred  to  the  city  of  Genoa,  and  placed 
in  the   Municipal   Palace,  in  what  is  called  the  "Custodia,"  a  marble 


RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS.  133 

shaft  which  is  surmounted  by  a  bust  of  Columbus.  They  are  shown 
once  a  week  to  visiting  strangers,  together  with  Paganini's  violin,  which, 
since  1840,  has  found  its  resting  place  in  the  "Custodia."  On  such  occa- 
sions the  chief  custodian,  who  has  charge  of  the  relics,  opens  the  little 
monument  and  exhibits  its  contents.  He  then  locks  it  up  carefully  and 
places  the  key  in  a  safe. 

559.     The  Codice  Diplomatico. 

The  Codice  Diplomatico,  preserved  in  the  Municipal  Palace  of  Genoa, 
is  a  small  folio  volume  of  parchment,  bound  in  Spanish  leather,  with 
two  silver  ornaments  on  the  sides,  and  enclosed  in  a  leather  bag.  This 
originally  had  a  silver  lock,  but  it  has  been  taken  off  and  only  the  marks 
remain  to  show  where  it  was  fastened. 

The  first  document  is  an  original  letter  of  Phillip  II,  King  of  Spain,  to 
Ottoviana  Oderigo,  Doge  of  Genoa,  congratulating  him  upon  his  collec- 
tion. Then  follows  a  memorandum  relating  to  Lorenzo  Oderigo,  who  in 
1669  gave  the  manuscripts  to  the  republic. 

Then  comes  the  title,  written  in  red  and  black  Gothic  letters,  with 
arabesque  ornaments:  "Cartas,  Privileg,  Cedulas  y  otras  Escrituras  de 
Don  Christoval  Colon,  Almirante  Mayor  del  Mar  Oceano,  Visorey  y 
Gobernador  de  las  Islas  y  Tierra  Firma."  (Letters,  Privileges,  Contracts 
and  other  Documents  of  Don  Christopher  Columbus,  Great  Admiral  of 
the  Ocean  Sea,  Viceroy  and  Governor  of  the  Islands  and  the  Main  Land.) 
On  the  back  of  the  title  is  the  coat-of-arms  of  Columbus. 

The  next  leaf  contains  a  table  of  contents  of  the  volume. 

Then  begin  the  documents  themselves,  covering  forty-two  leaves,  with 
ornamental  initial  letters,  and  the  attestations  of  the  notaries  and  alcaldes 
of  Seville,  in  whose  presence  the  copies  were  made. 

Next  follows  the  famous  bull  of  Alexander  V  fixing  the  line  of 
demarcation.  The  next  two  documents  are  arguments  by  Columbus 
describing  his  contract  with  the  sovereigns  and  defending  his  rights, 
occupying  nine  pages.  After  this  comes  a  letter  of  Columbus  to  the 
governess  of  the  Prince  Don  Juan,  which  fills  ten  pages,  and  a  mem- 
orandum of  the  different  copies  that  had  been  made  of  the  contracts 
with  the  sovereigns  and  their  disposition.  The  two  autograph  letters  of 
Columbus  to  Nicolo  Oderigo  are  pasted  on  the  pages  following,  and  a 
copy  of  the  reply  of  the  director  of  the  Bank  of  St.  George  of  Genoa  to  a 
letter  from  Columbus. 

At  the  end  of  the  volume  is  the  sketch  entitled  "The  Triumph  of 
Columbus,"  which  is  said  to  have  been  made  by  himself. 

These  manuscripts,  with  a  duplicate  copy,  were  sent  by  Columbus  to 

*  his  friend  Nicolo  Oderigo  at  Genoa,  to  be  deposited  in  the  Bank  of  St. 

George,  but  it  appears  that  he  failed  to  execute  the  commission  and 


134  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

kept  them.  They  were,  however,  preserved  in  his  family  until  1669, 
when  his  descendant,  Lorenzo  Oderigo,  presented  them  to  the  municipal- 
ity of  Genoa.  During  the  occupation  of  Italy  by  Napoleon  one  of  the 
manuscripts  was  taken  to  Paris,  where  it  still  remains  in  the  archives  of 
the  foreign  office.  The  other  fell  into  the  hands  of  Count  Michael- 
angelo  Cambiasi,  who  in  1887  surrendered  it  to  the  municipality.  In 
1821  the  custodia  or  monument  was  erected  for  its  preservation  from  a 
design  by  Sig.  Carlo  Barrabbuio,  executed  by  the  sculptor  Sig.  Peschiera. 
Upon  the  column  is  the  inscription: 

QVM  HEIC  SVNT  MEMBRANAS 

Epistolas  Q.  Expendito 

His  Patriam  Ipse  Nempe  Svam 

Columbus  Aperit 

En  Quid  Mihi  Creditum  Thesavri  Siet 

Deer  Decyrionum  Genvens. 

M  DCCC  XXI. 

560.     Bank  of  St.  George  at  Genoa. 

The  building  occupied  by  this  famous  institution,  which  was  the  most 
powerful,  financial  and  commercial  organization  in  the  world  for  several 
centuries,  still  stands  on  the  shores  of  the  Bay  of  Genoa,  and  is  used  by 
the  government  for  customs  purposes. 

562.  Relics  in  the  museum  at  Rome.     (Colored  plate.) 

There  are  in  the  museum  at  Rome  certain  relics  of  which  illustrations 
are  herewith  given.  They  are  claimed  by  some  to  have  been  brought 
from  the  New  World  by  Columbus  on  his  first  voyage  and  sent  by  him 
as  a  gift  to  Pope  Alexander  VI.  But  they  are  much  more  likely  to  have 
been  brought  over  by  Cortez,  or  some  of  his  associates  in  the  conquest 
of  Mexico. 

563.  Photograph  of  votive  offerings  left  by  Columbus  at  the  shrine  of  the 

Holy  Virgin  at  Siena,  Italy,  after  his  return  from  his  voyage  to  the 

New  World. 

While  on  the  return  from  the  discovery,  in  the  midst  of  a  fearful  gale, 
Columbus  made  a  vow  to  the  Holy  Virgin  that  if  his  life  was  spared  he 
would  visit  a  certain  shrine  at  Siena,  in  the  northern  part  of  Italy,  and 
leave  a  votive  offering.  Among  the  relics  preserved  at  this  shrine  to-day 
are  a  helmet  and  sword,  and  a  portion  of  the  vertebras  of  a  whale,  which 
he  is  claimed  to  have  left  there  when  he  paid  his  vow.  It  is  possi- 
ble he  visited  his  father  in  Genoa  at  this  time,  although  there  is  no 
evidence  of  the  fact.  It  has  been  denied  that  these  relics  were 
left  by  Columbus,  and  it  is  asserted  with  equal  positiveness  that  they 
belonged  to  the  Florentines  who  were  defeated  at  Poggibenzo  in  1478. 
The  relics  hang  over  the  main  entrance  to  the  little  church  Fonteginsta. 


RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS.  1 35 

564.  Coat-of-arms  of  Columbus. 

The  Spanish  sovereigns  bestowed  upon  Columbus  a  coat-of-arms 
showing  a  lion  and  a  castle  in  the  upper  quarters,  and  in  those  below  a 
group  of  golden  islands  in  a  sea  of  silver — as  many  as  he  discovered — 
and  the  original  arms  of  his  family,  five  golden  anchors  on  a  blue  ground. 
The  original  is  preserved  in  the  Ministry  of  Foreign  Affairs  at  Paris,  and 
a  duplicate  at  Genoa.  The  arms  have  been  changed  by  the  Dukes  de 
Veragua,  his  descendants,  to  show  silver  capped  waves  in  the  sea,  while 
a  globe  surmounted  by  a  cross  is  placed  in  the  midst  of  a  gulf  con- 
taining five  islands.* 

565.  Tickets  in  the  Columbus  lottery  at  Genoa. 

The  Columbus  Exposition  at  Genoa,  Italy,  which  was  organized  to 
commemorate  the  four  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  discovery,  was 
supported  by  a  lottery  of  which  these  are  sample  tickets. 

566.  Coins  made  of  the  first  gold  brought  from  America. 

Loaned  by  Mr.  Anton  Springer,  Rome,  New  York,  to  whom  they  were 
presented  by  a  prominent  priest  of  Cordova,  Spain,  said  to  be  made  of  the 
first  gold  brought  by  Columbus  from  the  New  World.  These  coins 
were  struck  by  hammer,  and  there  are  said  to  be  but  eighteen  of  the 
kind  in  existence. 

567.  Enlarged  sketches  of  the  Columbus  coins. 

568.  The  alleged  breviary  of  Columbus.     (Photograph.; 

There  is  a  book  in  the  Orsini  library  at  Rome  which  has  been  the  sub- 
ject of  a  great  deal  of  discussion  for  more  than  a  hundred  years.  It  has 
been  described  by  many  respectable  and  reliable  authorities  as  a  brevi- 
ary presented  to  Columbus  after  his  return  from  his  first  voyage  by 
Pope  Alexander  VI,  and  Columbus  is  alleged  to  have  written  that  "it 
comforted  him  in  his  battles,  his  captivities  and  his  misfortunes."  On  a 
leaf  of  this  Ytock  is  written  what  has  been  claimed  to  be  a  codicil  to  the 
will  of  Columbus,  dated  May  6,  1506,  and  this  codicil  has  been  used  as 
evidence  that  the  admiral  was  insane.  In  it  he  assumes  that  the  titles 
and  dignities  he  was  promised  by  the  sovereigns  of  Spain,  whether  they 
were  acknowledged  or  not,  were  his  of  right  to  alienate,  and  he  be- 
queathed them  to  the  city  of  Genoa  in  case  they  were  not  recognized  by 
the  sovereigns  of  Spain.  He  bestows  upon  his  native  city  in  the  same 
reckless  manner  the  means  to  erect  a  hospital  in  his  honor,  and  asks  that 
the  institution  shall  be  supported  by  the  revenues  from  his  Italian 
estates,  when  he  had  no  property  whatever. 

An  investigation  made  by  Mr.  J.  C.  Heywood  in   Rome  demonstrates 

that  the  book  is  not  a  breviary  at  all,  but  an  "Hours  of  the  Virgin;"   that 

*The  original  decree  granting  the  coat-of-arms  to  Columbus  is  on  exhibition  at  the  chapel. 


I36  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

there  is  no  evidence  whatever  that  it  belonged  to  Columbus,  and  the  date 
of  its  publication  is  many  years  subsequent  to  his  death.  The  alleged 
codicil  is  on  one  small  page,  written  over  the  original  text,  and  the  pen- 
manship is  a  very  poor  imitation  of  the  autograph  letters  of  Columbus 
preserved  at  Genoa.  The  book  first  attracted  attention  in  1779,  and  the 
manuscript  was  evidently  a  clumsy  attempt,  fraudulently,  to  give  a 
speculative  value  to  an  otherwise  worthless  volume. 

569.  The  triumph  of  Columbus. 

An  allegory  by  Nicolo  Barabino. 

570.  One  of  the  bolts  to  which  Columbus  was  chained  in  the  dungeon  at 

Santo  Domingo. 

Obtained  by  Robert  S.  Moon,  purser  United  States  Navy  in  1844  and 
presented  to  the  National  Museum,  Washington. 

571.  Silver  coin  issued  at  Bogota  by  the  government  of  the  republic  of  Col- 

ombia in  commemoration  of  the  fourth  centennial  of  the  discovery  of 

America. 

Loaned  by  William  E.  Curtis,  Washington,  D.  C. 

572.  Miniature  souvenir  medals  of  the  Columbian  Historical   Exposition  at 

Madrid. 

Loaned  by  William  E.  Curtis,  Washington,  D.  C. 

573.  Medal  awarded  to  William   E.   Curtis,   director  of  the   Bureau  of  the 

American  Republics,  by  the  commission  in  charge  of  the  celebration 
in  Spain  of  the  four  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  discovery  of  Amer- 
ica, in  acknowledgment  of  his  services  in  promoting  its  success. 

574.  The  wife  of  Columbus. 

By  Nicolau  Florentino,  of  Lisbon,  Portugal.  The  first  and  only 
volume  ever  published  concerning  the  wife  of  the  admiral. 

575.  Fac-simile  of  a  draft  made  by  Columbus  in  favor  of  Rodrigo  Bizcaino 

and  Francisco  Nino. 

Original  in  the  collection  of  the  Duchess  of  Alva. 

576.  Fac-simile  of  a  fragment  of  an  envelope  with  the  seal  of  Columbus  and 

his  signature  to  a  letter. 

577.  Notes  on  Columbus. 

By  Henry  Harisse.  Containing  important  results  of  his  investigations. 
Privately  printed. 

578.  Sermon  delivered  by  Rev.   Dr.   Frederick  H.  Quitman,  on  the  second 

Sunday  of  October,  1792. 

On  the  Island  of  Curacoa,  West  Indies.  "  God  glorified  by  the  dis- 
covery of  America."  Loaned  by  Mrs.  W.  C.  Nichols,  493  Fullerton 
avenue,  Chicago. 


VERsn 

PUBLICATION    OF    THE    DISCOVERY.  1 37 


SECTION  L.     THE  PUBLICATION  OF  THE  DISCOVERY. 


600.     Fac-simile  of  the  title  page  of  first  book  published  about  America. 

The  news  of  the  discovery  of  a  new  world  by  Columbus  first  appeared 
in  print  in  the  fall  of  1493,  a  few  months  after  his  arrival  at  Palos. 
It  was  a  little  quarto  of  four  leaves,  thirty-four  lines  to  the  page,  printed 
in  black-faced  type  in  the  Latin  language.  The  title,  translated  into 
English,  is  as  follows: 

Letter  from  Christopher  Columbus:  to  -whom  our  age  oweth  much:  concerning  the 
islands  of  India  beyond  the  Ganges,  recently  discovered.  In  the  search  of  which  he 
was  sent  eight  months  ago  under  the  auspices  and  at  the  expense  of  the  most  invincible 
King  of  the  Spains,  Ferdinand.  Addressed  to  the  noble  Lord  Rafael  Sanchez,  treasurer 
of  the  most  serene  King,  which  the  noble  and  learned  man,  Alexander  de  Cosco, 
translated  from  the  Spanish  idiom  into  Latin;  the  third  day  of  the  calendar  of  May, 
1493.    The  year  one  of  the  Pontificate  of  Alexander  VI. 

While  on  his  homeward  voyage,  February,  1493,  and  off  the  Canary 
Islands,  Columbus  wrote  two  accounts  of  his  discovery.  One  was 
addressed  to  Rafael  Sanchez,  the  crown  treasurer  of  Aragon,  and  the 
other  to  Louis  Santangel,  the  receiver  of  the  ecclesiastical  revenues, 
who  had  advanced  the  funds  to  equip  the  caravels  and  pay  the  expenses 
of  the  expedition.  No  trace  of  the  original  manuscript  can  be  found, 
although  it  has  been  diligently  searched  for;  nor  is  there  any  copy  of 
the  original  in  Spanish.  The  letter,  after  being  read  at  court,  was  prob- 
ably handed  to  Alexander  de  Cosco,  a  notary,  who  made  a  translation 
into  Latin,  which  was  the  common  language  of  the  printing-office  in 
those  days,  and  he  undoubtedly  threw  away  the  original  as  of  no  further 
use.  The  Latin  translation  was  handed  to  a  printer,  and  he  is  unknown, 
as  well  as  the  place  at  which  it  was  printed. 

Six  editions  of  the  little  pamphlet  were,  however,  published  during 
the  same  year,  1493.  The  first  and  fourth  editions  are  supposed  to  have 
been  printed  by  Stephanus  Planneck,  at  a  famous  printer  at  Rome.  They 
have  the  same  type  and  the  same  paper,  and  both,  are  identical  with 
other  books  published  by  this  same  printer  about  the  same  date.  The 
types  used  in  the  first,  second  and  third  editions  are  very  different,  and 
the  text  varies  in  some  particulars.  The  titles  differ  also.  The  third 
edition  bears  the  printer's  name,  Eucharus  Silber  of  Rome.  The  fifth 
and  sixth  editions  were  printed  by  Guyot  Marchant  at  Paris. 

The  first  edition  is  a  plain  pamphlet  without  an  ornament,  or  even  an 
initial  letter,  and  was  evidently  published  with  great  haste. 


I38  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

601.  Fac-similes  of  the   illustrations   in  the  fifth  edition   of  the  first  book 

concerning  the  New  World. 

602.  Wood  cuts  from  the  first  book  published  concerning  America. 

603.  Photograph  of  the  t:.tle  page  of  a  volume  of  sermons. 

By  Dr.  Ortiz,  of  Toledo,  1493. 

^here  was  printed  at  Seville  during  the  latter  part  of  1493  a  volume 
of  sermons  by  Dr.  Alonzo  Ortiz,  a  canon  of  Toledo  who  was  famous  for 
his  bigotry  and  his  rhetoric,  in  which  the  discovery  of  Columbus  was 
described.  It  appears  on  page  43  of  an  oration  pronounced  in  honor  of 
Ferdinand  and  Isabella,  and  begins  :  "  Behold,  the  eyes  of  mortals  are 
justly  fixed  upon  you  in  merited  approbation,  on  glorious  princes,  for 
there  is  no  nation  ever  so  barbarous  that  is  not  aware  of  your  triumphs." 
The  only  copy  of  this  volume  known  is  in  the  public  library  of  Boston, 
to  which  it  was  presented  by  the  late  Mr.  George  Tichnor,  and  from 
which  this  photograph  is  taken  by  consent  of  the  trustees. 

604.  Second  edition  of  the  letter  of  Columbus. 

The  second  edition  contains  ten  leaves,  with  twenty-seven  lines  to  the 
page.  It  also  contains  seven  elaborate  wood  cuts,  five  of  which  cover 
entire  pages.  On  the  recto  of  the  first  leaf  is  the  coat-of-arms  of  Castile 
and  Leon  ;  on  the  verso  a  vessel,  with  the  words  "  Oceanica  Classis  ;" 
on  the  verso  of  the  second  leaf  is  a  picture  of  men  landing  inscribed 
"Insula  Hyspana,-"  on  the  verso  of  the  third  leaf  is  a  rude  map  inscribed 
"  Fernando  Ysabella,  Hyspana,  Saluatoris  conceptores  Maria,"  and  a 
caravel  ;  the  wood-cut  of  the  second  leaf  is  repeated  on  the  fifth  ;  on  the 
verso  of  the  sixth  leaf  is  a  fort  in  process  of  construction,  and  the  words, 
"Insula  Hyspana-"  on  the  tenth  leaf  a  full-page  portrait  of  King  Ferdi- 
nand, while  on  the  last  page  appears  the  coat-of-arms  of  Granada,  so 
that  we  may  assume  that  it  was  printed  in  that  city. 

There  is  a  copy  in  the  Lenox  library  in  New  York,  and  another  in 
the  British  museum.  There  was  formerly  a  third  in  the  Brera  library 
at  Milan,  but  it  has  disappeared. 

Copies  of  the  third  edition  are  found  in  the  Lenox  library  at  New 
York  and  in  the  John  Brown  Carter  college  at  Providence,  Rhode 
Island. 

There  are  copies  of  the  fourth  edition  in  the  British  museum,  in  the 
Royal  library  at  Munich,  in  Milan,  in  the  Carter-Brown  collection  at 
Providence,  in  the  Lenox  library  at  New  York,  and  one  belonging  to  the 
late  Samuel  L.  M.  Barlow,  of  New  York,  was  sold  at  auction  to  Dodd, 
Mead  &  Co.,  in  1890  for  $2,250. 

Both  the  first  and  second  editions  contain  an  epigram  written  by  Leo- 


PUBLICATION    OF    THE    DISCOVERY.  "1 39 

nardo  de  Carminis,  bishop  of  Monte  Peloso,  situated  in  the  kingdom  of 
Naples,  which  reads  in  English  as  follows: 

To  the  invincible  King  of  the  Spains: 

Less  wide  to  the  world  than  the  renown  of  Spain, 

To  swell  her  triumphs  no  new  lands  remain! 

Rejoice,  Iberia!    See  thy  fame  increase! 

Another  world  Columbus  from  the  east 

And  the  mid-ocean  summons  to  thy  way! 

Give  thanks  to  him;  but  loftier  homage  pay 

To  God  Supreme,  who  gives  its  realms  to  thee! 

Greatest  of  monarchs,  first  of  servants  be. 

Ferdinand  was  ruler  of  Naples  as  well  as  of  Aragon,  but  had  pawned  the 
former  country  to  France,  and  it  was  not  restored  to  him  by  Charles 
VIII  until  some  time  after.  It  is  supposed  that  the  poetic  bishop  was 
paying  a  visit  to  court  at  the  time  Columbus  returned,  when  he  took  the 
opportunity  to  sing  the  glory  of  his  royal  master. 

The  omission  of  Queen  Isabella  in  the- first  edition  was  corrected  in 
the  third,  which  was  published  immediately  after  by  the  same  printer, 
and  copies  of  that  were  sent  to  Rome  and  Paris  when  the  pamphlet  was 
republished. 

Of  the  first  edition  but  three  copies  are  known.  One  is  in  the  British 
museum,  another  in  the  Royal  library  at  Munich,  and  the  third  in  the 
Public  library  of  Boston,  having  been  purchased  for  $3,000  in  1890,  at  the 
sale  of  the  books  of  the  late  Samuel  L.  M.  Barlow,  who  procured  it  in 
1864  from  Col.  Thomas  Aspinwall.  The  latter  bought  it  in  London  in 
1831. 
605.     Fifth  edition  of  the  letter  of  Columbus. 

The  fifth  edition  of  the  letter  of  Columbus,  which  was  printed  at  Paris, 
has  on  the  first  leaf  a  wood  cut,  representing  an  angel  appearing  to  a 
group  of  shepherds.  The  only  copies  known  are  in  the  library  at  Paris 
and  the  collection  of  the  late  John  Carter-Brown  at  Providence. 

608.  Sixth  edition  of  the  letter  of  Columbus. 

The  sixth  edition,  which  was  also  printed  in  Paris,  bears  the  title 
"Epistle  Concerning  Islands  Recently  Discovered,"  with  a  picture  repre- 
senting a  tailor  and  a  shoemaker  at  work,  with  a  pair  of  clasped  hands 
and  a  pair  of  boots  hanging  from  a  rod.  Three  copies  are  known,  be- 
longing to  the  Carter-Brown  collection,  the  Bodlein  collection  at  Oxford, 
and  the  University  library  atGottengen. 

609.  The  letter  of  Columbus  to  Luis  Santangel. 

Columbus,  while  at  sea,  wrote  a  letter  describing  his  voyage  to  Luis 
Santangel,  to  whom  he  was  indebted  for  the  funds  to  pay  the  expenses 
of  the  expedition.  It  was  in  black  Gothic  type,  upon  coarse  paper, 
without  title,  date,  or  printer's  name;  a  pamphlet  of  four  leaves,  in  Span- 


140  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

ish.     The  only  copy  is  in  the  Ambrosian  library  at  Milan,  bequeathed  in 
1852  by  the  Baron  Pietro  Custodi  of  that  city. 

A  similar  quarto,  printed  about  the  same  time  and  also  unique,  was 
sold  by  Mr.  Brayton  Ives  in  1891  to  Dodd,  Mead  &  Co. 

Translation  cf  the  letter  of  Columbus  to  Luis  De  Santangel. 

Sir  :  '  si  am  sure  you  will  be  pleased  at  the  great  victory  which  the  Lord  has  given 
me  in  my  voyage,  I  write  this  to  inform  you  that  in  twenty  days  I  arrived  in  the  Indies 
with  the  squadron  which  their  Majesties  had  placed  under  my  command.  There  I  dis- 
covered many  islands,  inhabited  by  a  numerous  population,  and  took  possession  of 
them  for  their  Highnesses,  with  public  ceremony  and  the  royal  flag  displayed,  without 
molestation. 

The  first  that  I  discovered  I  named  San  Salvador,  in  remembrance  of  that  Almighty 
Power  which  had  so  miraculously  bestowed  them.  The  Indians  call  it  Guanahani.  To 
the  second  I  assigned  the  name  of  Santa  Marie  de  Conception:  to  the  third,  that  of 
Fernandina;  to  the  fourth,  that  of  Isabella;  to  the  fifth,  Juana  ;  and  so  on,  to  every 
one  a  new  name. 

When  I  arrived  at  Juana,  I  followed  the  coast  to  the  westward  and  found  it  so  ex- 
tensive that  I  considered  it  must  be  a  continent  and  a  province  of  Cathay.  And  as  I 
found  no  towns  or  villages  by  the  seaside,  excepting  some  small  settlements,  with  the 
people  of  which  I  could  not  communicate  because  they  all  ran  away,  I  continued  my 
course  to  the  westward,  thinking  I  should  not  fa'l  to  find  some  large  town  and  cities. 
After  having  coasted  many  leagues  without  finding  any  signs  of  them,  and  seeing  that 
the  coast  took  me  to  the  northward,  where  I  did  not  wish  to  go,  as  the  winter  was  al- 
ready set  in,  I  considered  it  best  to  follow  the  coast  to  the  south  ;  and  the  wind  being 
also  scant,  I  determined  to  lose  no  more  time,  and  thprefore  returned  to  a  certain  port, 
from  whence  I  sent  two  messengers  into  the  country  to  ascertain  whether  there  was  any 
king  there  or  any  large  city. 

They  traveled  for  three  days,  finding  an  infinite  number  of  small  settlements  and  an 
innumerable  population,  but  nothing  like  a  city  ;  on  which  account  they  returned.  I 
had  tolerably  well  ascertained  from  some  Indians  whom  I  had  taken  that  this  land  was 
only  an  island,  so  I  followed  the  coast  of  it  to  the  east  107  leagues,  to  its  termination. 
And  about  eighteen  leagues  from  this  cape,  to  the  east,  there  was  another  island,  to 
which  I  shortly  gave  the  name  of  Espanola.  I  went  to  it,  and  followed  the  north  coast 
of  it,  as  I  had  done  that  of  Juana,  for  178  long  leagues  due  east. 

This  island  is  very  fertile,  as  well,  indeed,  as  all  the  rest.  It  possesses  numerous  har- 
bors, far  superior  to  any  I  know  in  Europe,  and  what  is  remarkable,  plenty  of  large 
inlets.  The  land  is  high,  and  contains  many  lofty  ridges  and  some  very  high  mount- 
ains, without  comparison  of  the  Island  of  Cetrefrey  ;  all  of  them  very  handsome  and  of 
different  forms  ;  all  of  them  accessible  and  abounding  in  trees  of  a  thousand  kinds, 
high,  and  appearing  as  if  they  would  reach  the  skies.  And  I  am  assured  that  the- lat- 
ter never  lose  their  fresh  foliage,  as  far  as  I  can  understand,  fori  saw  them  as  fresh  and 
flourishing  as  those  of  Spain  in  the  month  of  May.  Some  were  in  blossom,  some  bear- 
ing fruit,  and  others  in  other  states  according  to  their  nature. 

The  nightingale  and  a  thousand  kinds  of  birds  enliven  the  woods  with  their  song,  in 
the  month  of  November,  wherever  I  went.  There  are  seven  or  eight  kinds  of  palms,  of 
various  elegant  forms,  besides  various  other  trees,  fruits  and  herbs.  The  pines  of  this 
island  are  magnificent.  It  has  also  extensive  plains,  honey,  and  a  great  variety  of  birds 
and  fruits.    It  has  many  metal  mines,  and  a  population  innumerable. 

Espanola  is  a  wonderful  island,  with  mountains,  groves,  plains,  and  the  country  gen- 
erally beautiful  and  rich  for  planting  and  sowing,  for  rearing  sheep  and  cattle  of  all 
kiaJs,  anl  r^ady  far  towns  and  cities.    The  harbors  must  be  seen  to  be  appreciated; 


PUBLICATION    OF    THE    DISCOVERY.  I41 

rivers  are  plentiful  and  large  and  of  excellent  water;  the  greater  part  of  them  contain 
gold.  There  is  a  great  difference  between  the  trees,  fruits,  and  herbs  of  this  island  and 
those  of  Juana.  In  this  island  there  are  many  spices,  and  large  mines  of  gold  and 
other  metals. 

The  people  of  this  island  and  of  all  the  others  which  I  have  discovered  or  heard  of, 
both  men  and  women,  go  naked  as  they  were  born,  although  some  of  the  women  wear 
leaves  of  herbs  or  a  cotton  covering  made  on  purpose.  They  have  no  iron  or  steel,  nor 
any  weapons;  not  that  they  are  not  a  well-disposed  people  and  of  tine  stature,  but  they 
are  timid  to  a  degree.  They  have  no  other  arms  excepting  spearo  made  of  cane,  to 
which  they  fix  at  the  end  a  sharp  piece  of  wood,  and  then  dare  not  use  even  these.  Fre- 
quently I  had  occasion  to  send  two  or  three  of  my  men  on  shore  to  some  settlement  for 
information,  where  there  would  be  multitudes  of  them;  and  as  soon  as  they  saw  our  peo- 
ple they  would  run  away  every  soul,  the  father  leaving  his  child;  and  this  was  not 
because  any  one  had  done  them  harm,  for  rather  at  every  cape  where  I  had  landed  and 
been  able  to  communicate  with  them  1  have  made  them  presents  of  cloth  and  maiiy 
other  things  without  receiving  anything  in  return;  but  because  they  are  so  timid.  Cer- 
tainly, where  they  have  confidence  and  forget  their  fears  they  are  so  open-hearted  and 
liberal  with  all  they  possess  that  it  is  scarcely  to  be  believed  without  seeing  it.  If  any- 
thing that  they  have  is  asked  of  them  they  never  deny  it;  on  the  contrary,  they  will  offer 
it.  Their  generosity  is  so  great  that  they  would  give  anything,  whether  it  is  costly  or 
not,  for  anything  of  every  kind  that  is  offered  them  and  be  contented  with  it.  I  was 
obliged  to  prevent  such  worthless  things  being  given  them  as  pieces  of  broken  basins, 
broken  glass,  and  bits  of  shoe-latchets,  although  when  they  obtained  them  they  esteemed 
them  as  if  they  had  been  the  greatest  of  treasures.  One  of  the  seamen  for  a  latchet 
received  a  piece  of  gold  weighing  two  dollars  and  a  half,  and  others,  for  other  things  of 
much  less  value,  obtained  more.  Again,  for  new  silver  coin  they  would  give  everything 
they  possessed,  whether  it  was  worth  two  or  three  doubloons  or  one  or  two  balls  of  cot- 
ton. Even  for  pieces  of  broken  pipe-tubes  they  would  take  them  and  give  anything  for 
them,  until,  when  I  thought  it  wrong,  I  prevented  it.  And  1  made  them  presents  of 
thousands  of  things  which  I  had,  that  I  might  win  their  esteem,  and  also  that  they 
might  be  m  idegood  Christians  and  be  disposed  to  the  service  of  your  Majesties  and 
the  whole  Spanish  nation,  and  help  us  to  obtain  the  things  which  we  require  and  of 
which  there  is  abundance  in  their  country. 

And  these  people  appear  to  have  neither  religion  nor  idolatry,  except  that  they  believe 
that  good  and  evil  come  from  the  skies;  and  they  firmly  believed  that  our  ships  and  their 
crews,  with  myself,  came  from  the  skies,  and  with  this  persuasion,  after  having  lost 
their  fears,  they  always  received  us.  And  yet  this  does  not  proceed  from  ignorance,  for 
they  are  very  ingenious,  and  some  of  them  navigate  their  seas  in  a  wonderful  manner 
and  give  good  account  of  things,  but  because  they  never  saw  people  dressed  or  ships 
like  ours. 

And  as  soon  as  I  arrived  in  the  Indies,  at  the  first  island  at  which  I  touched,  I  capt- 
ured some  of  them,  that  we  might  learn  from  them  and  obtain  intelligence  of  what 
there  was  in  those  parts.  And  as  soon  as  we  understood  each  other  they  were  of  great 
service  to  us;  but  yet,  from  frequent  conversation  which  I  have  had  with  them,  they 
still  believe  we  came  from  the  skies.  These  were  the  first  to  express  that  idea,  and  oth- 
ers ran  from  house  to  house,  and  to  the  neighboring  villages,  crying  out,  "Come  and  see 
the  people  from  the  skies."  And  thus  all  of  them,  men  and  women,  after  satisfied  them- 
selves of  their  safety,  came  to  us  without  reserve,  great  and  small,  bringing  us  some- 
thing to  eat  and  drink,  and  which  they  gave  to  us  most  affectionately.' 

They  have  many  canoes  in  those  islands  propelled  by  oars,  some  of  them  large  and 
others  small,  and  many  of  them  with  eight  or  ten  paddles  of  a  side,  not  very  wide,  but 
all  of  one  trunk,  andaboat  can  not  ke^p  way  with  them  by  oars,  for  they  are  incredibly 


142  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

fast;  and  with  these  they  navigate  all  the  islands,  which  are  innumerable,  and  obtain 
their  articles  of  traffic.  I  have  seen  some  of  these  canoes  with  sixty  or  eighty  men  in 
them,  and  each  with  a  paddle. 

Among  the  islands  I  did  not  find  much  diversity  of  formation  in  the  people,  nor  in 
their  customs,  nor  their  language.  They  all  understand  each  other,  which  is  remarka- 
ble; and  I  trust  Your  Highnesses  will  determine  on  their  being  converted  to  our  faith, 
for  which  they  are  very  well  disposed. 

I  have  already  said  that  I  went  107  leagues  along  the  coast  of  Juana,  from  east  to 
west.  Thus,  according  to  my  track,  it  is  larger  than  England  and  Scotland  together, 
for,  besides  these  107  leagues,  there  were  further  west  two  provinces  to  which  1  did  not 
go,  one  of  which  is  called  Cibau,  the  people  of  which  are  born  with  tails;  which  prov- 
inces must  be  about  fifty  or  sixty  leagues  long,  according  to  what  I  can  make  out  from 
the  Indians  I  have  with  me,  who  know  all  the  islands.  The  other  island  (Espanola)  is 
larger  in  circuit  than  the  whole  of  Spain,  from  the  Straits  of  Gibraltar  (the  Columns) 
to  Fuentarabia  in  Biscay,  as  I  sailed  138  long  leagues  in  a  direct  line  from  west  to  east. 
Once  known  it  must  be  desired,  and  once  seen  one  desires  never  to  leave  it;  and 
which,  being  taken  possession  of  for  their  Highnesses,  and  the  people  being  at  present  in 
a  condition  lower  than  I  can  possibly  describe,  the  sovereigns  of  Castile  may  dispose  of 
it  in  any  manner  they  please  in  the  most  convenient  places.  In  this  Espanola,  and  the 
best  district, 'there  are  gold  mines,  and,  on  the  other  hand,  from  thence  to  terra  firma, 
as  well  as  from  thence  to  the  Great  Khan,  where  everything  is  on  a  splendid  scale.  I 
have  taken  possession  of  a  large  town,  to  which  I  gave  the  name  of  La  Navidad,  and 
have  built  a  fort  in  it  in  every  respect  complete.  And  I  have  left  sufficient  people  in  it 
to  take  care  of  it,  with  artillery  and  provisions  for  more  than  a  year,  also  a  boat  and 
coxswain  with  the  equipments,  in  complete  friendship  with  the  king  of  the  island,  to 
that  degree  that  he  delighted  to  call  me  and  look  on  me  as  his  brother.  And  should 
they  fall  out  with  these  people,  neither  he  nor  his  subjects  know  anything  of  weapons, 
and  go  naked,  as  I  have  said,  and  they  are  the  most  timorous  people  in  the  world.  The 
few  people  left  there  are  sufficient  to  conquer  the  country,  and  the  island  would  thus 
remain  without  danger  to  them,  they  keeping  order  among  themselves. 

In  all  these  islands  it  appeared  to  me  the  men  are  contented  with  one  wife,  but  to 
their  governor  or  king  they  allow  twenty.  The  women  seem  to  work  more  than  the 
men.  I  have  not  been  able  to  discover  whether  they  respect  personal  property,  for  it 
appeared  to  me  things  were  common  to  all,  especially  in  the  particular  of  provisions. 
Hitherto  I  have  not  seen  in  any  of  these  islands  any  monsters,  as  there  were  supposed 
to  be;  the  people,  on  the  contrary,  are  generally  well  formed,  nor  are  they  black  like 
those  of  Guinea,  saving  their  hair,  and  they  do  not  reside  in  places  exposed  to  the  sun's 
rays.  It  is  true  that  the  sun  is  most  powerful  there,  as  it  is  only  twenty-six  degrees 
from  the  equator.  In  this  last  winter  those  islands  which  were  mountainous  were 
cold,  but  they  are  accustomed  to  it,  with  good  food,  and  plenty  of  spices  and  hot  nutri- 
ment. Thus  I  have  found  no  monsters  nor  heard  of  any,  except  at  an  island  which  is 
the  second  in  going  to  the  Indies,  and  which  is  inhabited  by  a  people  who  are  consid- 
ered in  all  the  islands  as  ferocious,  and  who  devour  human  flesh.  These  people  have 
many  canoes,  which  scour  all  the  islands  of  India,  and  plunder  all  they  can.  They  are 
not  worse  formed  than  others,  but  they  wear  the  hair  long  like  women,  and  use  bows 
and  arrows  of  the  same  kind  of  cane,  pointed  with  a  piece  of  hardwood  instead  of 
iron,  of  which  they  have  none.  They  are  fierce  compared  with  the  other  people,  who 
are  in  general  but  sad  cowards;  but  I  do  not  consider  them  in  any  other  way  superior 
to  them.  These  are  they  who  trade  in  women,  who  inhabit  the  first  island  met  with  in 
going  from  Spain  to  the  Indies,  in  which  there  are  no  men  whatever.  Thpy  have  no  ef- 
feminate exercise,  but  bows  and  arrows,  as  before  said,  of  cane,  with  which  they  arm 
themselves,  and  use  shields  of  copper,  of  which  they  have  plenty. 


PUBLICATION    OF    THE    DISCOVERY.  143 

There  is  another  island,  I  am  told,  larger  than  Espanola,  the  natives  of  which  have 
no  hair.  In  this  there  is  gold  without  limit,  and  of  this  and  the  others  1  have  Indians 
with  me  to  witness. 

In  conclusion,  referring  only  to  what  has  been  effected  by  this  voyage,  which  was  made 
with  so  much  haste,  Your  Highnesses  may  see  that  I  shall  find  as  much  gold  as  desired 
with  the  very  little  assistance  afforded  to  me;  there  is  as  much  spice  and  cotton  as  can 
be  wished  for,  and  also  gum,  which  hitherto  has  only  been  found  in  Greece,  in  the 
island  of  Chios,  and  they  may  sell  it  as  they  please,  and  the  mastich,  as  much  as  may  be 
desired,  and  slaves,  also,  who  will  bu  idolators.  And  I  believe  that  I  have  rhubarb, 
and  cinnamon,  and  a  thousand  other  things  I  shall  find,  which  will  have  been  dis- 
covered by  those  whom  1  have  left  behind,  for  I  did  not  stop  at  any  cape  when  the 
wind  enabled  me  to  navigate,  except  at  the  town  of  Navidad,  where  I  was  very  safe  and 
well  taken  care  of.  And  in  truth  much  more  I  should  have  done  if  the  ships  had 
served  me  as  might  have  been  expected.  This  is  certain,  that  the  Eternal  God  our  Lord 
gives  all  things  to  those  who  obey  Him,  and  the  victory  when  it  seems  impossible,  and 
this,  evidently,  is  an  instance  of  it.  for  although  people  have  talked  of  these  lands,  all 
was  conjecture  unless  proved  by  seeing  them,  for  the  greater  part  listened  and  judged 
more  by  hearsay  than  by  anything  else. 

Since,  then,  our  Redeemer  has  given  this  victory  to  our  illustrious  King  and  Queen 
and  celebrated  their  reigns  by  such  a  great  thing,  all  Christendom  should  rejoice  and 
make  great  festivals,  and  give  solemn  thanks  to  the  Blessed  Trinity,  with  solemn 
praises  for  the  exaltation  of  so  much  people  to  our  holy  faith;  and  next  for  the 
temporal  blessings  which  not  only  Spain  but  they  will  enjoy  in  becoming  Christians, 
and  which  last  may  shortly  be  accomplished. 

Wiitten  in  the  caravel  off  the  Canary  Islands,  on  the  fifteenth  of  February,  ninety- 
three. 

The  following  is  introduced  into  the  letter  after  being  closed: 

After  writing  the  above,  being  in  the  Castilian  Sea  (off  the  coast  of  Castile),  I  ex- 
perienced so  severe  a  wind  from  south  and  southeast  that  I  have  been  obliged  to  run 
to-day  into  this  port  of  Lisbon,  and  only  by  a  miracle  got  safely  in,  from  whence  I  in- 
tended to  write  to  Your  Highnesses.  In  all  parts  of  the  Indies  I  have  found  the 
weather  like  that  of  May,  where  I  went  in  ninety-three  days,  and  returned  in  seventy- 
eight,  saving  these  thirteen  days  of  bad  weather  that  I  have  been  detained  beating 
about  in  this  sea.  Every  seaman  here  says  that  never  was  so  severe  a  winter,  nor  such 
loss  of  ships.  * 

6io.     Fac-simile  of  the  letter  of  Columbus  to  Louis  Santangel. 

Quaritch  copy. 

In  1891  Mr.  Bernard  Quaritch,  of  London,  awakened  the  astonishment 
of  bibliophiles  by  offering  for  sale  for  §8,750  what  he  claimed  to  be  a 
copy  of  the  first  edition  of  this  letter  printed  at  Barcelona  in  April,  1493 
This  remarkable  pamphlet  is  said  to  have  been  found  in  Spain  in  1889. 
It  consists  of  two  leaves  of  very  coarse  paper,  printed  in  Spanish  black- 
faced  type,  without  the  name  of  the  publisher  or  the  place  of  impression. 
Four  leaves  of  similar  paper  are  stitched  to  it,  which  have  no  doubt 
been  its  protection  for  four  hundred  years.  The  first  and  second  leaves 
are  glued  together,  and  there  is  writing  on  all  four.  On  the  first  and 
second  leaves  appears  a  biography  of  Saint  Leocadia,  who  suffered  mar- 
tyrdom at  Toledo  in  the  year  304.     On  the  third  and  fourth  is  an  appeal 


144  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

to  the  Archduke  Philip,  dated  12th  of  May,  1497,  against  the  exorbitant 
taxation  imposed  upon  the  people  of  the  Netherlands.  From  this  docu- 
ment it  is  inferred  that  the  copy  of  the  Santangel  letter  was  taken  from 
Spain  to  Flanders  by  some  member  of  the  suite  of  the  Princess  Juaua, 
the  daughter  of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella,  who  married  Philip  the  Hand- 
some at  Lille  on  the  22d  of  August,  1496.  The  treasure  was  purchased 
by  the  Lenox  library,  of  New  York,  in  the  fall  of  1892,  where  it  is  con- 
sidered the  most  precious  and  important  example  of  all  literature  relat- 
ing to  Columbus  and  the  discovery  of  America. 

6u.     The  sermon  of  Bishop  Carvajal. 

Loaned  by  the  Library  of  Congress. 

On  the  19th  of  June,  1493,  there  was  delivered  at  Rome  a  "sermon  on 
the  solemn- pledge  of  obedience  from  the  Most  Christian  Sovereigns, 
Ferdinand  and  Isabella,  King  and  Queen  of  the  Spains,  to  our  Most 
Holy  Lord  the  Pope  Alexander  VI,  by  the  Reverend  Father,  Lord  Ber- 
nardin  Carvajal,  Bishop  of  Carthagena,"  who  took  for  his  text  the  verse 
in  Isaiah  xi,  reading:  "The  calf  and  the  young  lion  and  the  fatling 
together,  and  a  little   child  will  lead  them." 

In  this  sermon  the  holy  father  dwells  at  length  upon  the  achieve- 
ments of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella,  chief  among  which  he  numbers  the 
discoveries  of  Columbus.  It  was  published  late  in  the  year  1493,  and 
three  copies  of  the  volume  are  known  to  exist;  in  the  Peter  Force  collec- 
tion of  the  Library  of  Congress  at  Washington,  in  the  Lenox  Library  at 
New  York  and  in  Milan. 

612.  Photograph  of  the  Bull  of  Demarcation  by  Pope  Alexander  VI. 

The  famous  Bull  of  Demarcation,  uttered  May  12, 1493,  by  Pope  Alex- 
ander VI,  divided  the  newly-found  world  between  his  faithful  subjects, 
the  sovereigns  of  Spain  and  Portugal.  Only  one  printed  copy  of  this 
all-important  document  has  been  known  of  recent  years.  That  was  sold 
at  auction  by  Puttrick  &  Simpson,  of  London,  on  the  24th  of  May,  1854,  to 
Obadiah  Rich,  who  is  said  to  have  represented  some  American  collector, 
but  the  name  of  his  client  is  unknown,  and  the  document  has  entirely 
disappeared.  There  is  no  other  copy  known  and  the  library  of  the  Vat- 
ican has  been  searched  in  vain  for  a  duplicate.  The  manuscript  copy 
sent  to  Spain  is  now  in  the  archives  of  the  Indies  at  Seville,  from  which 
this  photograph  was  taken. 

613.  Narrative  of  the  second  voyage  of  Columbus — "De  Insulis  Meridiani 

atque  Indici  Maris  nuper  inventis." 

"An  account  of  the  islands  recently  discovered  in  the  Southern  and 
Indian  Ocean  under  the  auspices  of  the  invincible  sovereigns  of  Spain 
by  Nicolas  Syllacius." 


PUBLICATION    OF    THE    DISCOVERY.  145 

The  second  voyage  of  Columbus  was  first  described  in  print  by  Nico- 
las Syllacius,  lecturer  on  philosophy  in  the  University  of  Pavia.  Gugji- 
elmo  Coma,  an  Italian  noble  living  in  Spain,  sent  an  account  of  it,  hav- 
ing gained  the  information  from  the  letters  of  Columbus  and  that  of  Dr. 
Chanca,  of  Seville,  who  accompanied  the  expedition  as  a  surgeon.  This 
news  was  'made  the  basis  of  a  pamphlet  of  ten  pages  in  Latin,  which 
was  printed  by  Girard-hengi  at  Pavia  in  1494  under  the  title:  "To  the 
Most  Learned  Lewis  Maria  Sforza,  of  Anghiera,  Seventh  Duke  of  Milan, 
Concerning  the  Newly-Discovered  Islands  of  the  South  and  Indian 
Oceans,  Under  the  Auspices  of  the  Most  Invincible  Sovereigns  of  Spain. 
By  Nicholas  Syllacio,  Doctor  of  Arts  and  Medicine,  Lecturer  on  Phi- 
losophy at  Pavia." 

The  voyage  to  which  this  account  refers  is  the  second,  that  on  which 
Columbus  sailed  from  Cadiz  on  the  25th  of  September,  1493.  The  first 
island  he  discovered  was  called  Dominica  from  the  day  in  which  it  was 
seen.  The  second  was  named  Maria-galante,  or  Volante,  after  the  ad- 
miral's vessel.  He  then  visited  in  succession  Guadeloupe,  Santa  Cruz, 
the  Island  of  St.  John  the  Baptist,  now  Puerto  Rico,  and  the  last  of  all 
Hispaniola. 

This  voyage  has  been  described  by  other  writers  of  the  same  age, 
Peter  Martyr  among  others. 

The  only  known  copies  are  in  the  Lenox  library,  New  York,  and  the 
Trivulzio  library  at  Milan. 
614.     Modern  reprint  of  the  Guiliano  Dati  poem. 

On  the  25th  of  October,  1493,  appeared,  in  the  form  of  a  poem,  a  met- 
rical translation  of  the  Santangel  letter  and  it  was  printed  at  Florence. 
The  author  was  Guiliano  Dati,  Bishop  of  Saint  Leone,  burn  at  Florence 
in  1445,  and  the  author  of  several  poems,  which  are  among  the  rarest  of 
bibliographical  curiosities.  There  are  sixty-eight  stanzas,  of  which  four- 
teen are  devoted  to  a  eulogy  of  the  infamous  Alexander  Borgia.  The 
story  of  Columbus  and  his  voyage  is  introduced  in  the  fourteenth  stanza, 
of  which  the  following  is  a  translation: 

Back  to  my  time,  O  listener,  turn  with  me, 
And  hear  of  islands  all  unknown  to  thee! 
Islands  whereof  the  grand  discovery 
Chanced  in  this  year  of  fourteen  ninety-three; 
One  Christopher  Colombo,  whose  resort 
Was  ever  in  the  King  Fernando's  court, 
Bent  himself  still  to  rouse  and  stimulate 
The  King  to  swell  the  borders  of  his  State. 

The  title  of  the  poem  translated  is: 

This  is  the  history  of  the  discovery  of  the  Canary  Islands  of  the  Indies,  extracted 
from  a  letter  of  Christopher  Columbus,  and  translated  into  Latin  from  the  common 


I46  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

language  of  Guiliano  Dati  for  the  praise  and  glory  of  the  celestial  court,  and  for  the 
consolation  of  the  Christian  religion,  and  at  the  request  of  the  magnificent  chevalier, 
John  Philip  Delignaruine,  private  secretary  of  the  most  sacred  and  Christian  King  of 
Spain,  October  23,  14C3. 

Only  two  copies  of  the  first  edition  are  known.  One  is  in  the  British 
museum,  and  the  other  was  obtained  for  the  historical  collection  of  the 
World's  Columbian  Exposition. 

A  second  edition  was,  however,  published  only  one  day  later  than  the 
first,  on  the  26th  of  October,  1493,  also  at  Florence,  but  the  type  is  differ- 
ent, and  there  are  numerous  changes  in  the  text  which  was  evidently  re- 
vised by  the  bishop.  It  contains  also  a  frontispiece,  representing  the 
King  of  Spain  sitting  upon  his  throne  and  gazing  across  the  water  at  an 
island  covered  with  Indians,  houses  and  palms.  There  are  two  copies 
known,  one  in  the  British  museum,  and  another  in  a  library  at  Milan. 

615.  Original  of  the  "Dati  del  Isole,"  1492,  the  first  poem  concerning  the 

New  World. 

616.  The  first  drama  concerning  America. 

Loaned  by  the  Library  of  Congress,  Washington. 

Early  in  the  year  1494  there  was  published  a  drama  presenting  the 
incidents  in  the  siege  of  Granada,  to  which  was  attached  a  copy  of  the 
letter  of  Columbus  to  Rafael  Sanchez.  The  title  reads:  "  To  the  Praise 
of  the  Most  Illustrious  Ferdinand,  King  of  the  Spains,  Bethica  and 
Granada;  his  siege,  victory  and  triumph,  and  of  the  islands  newly  dis- 
covered in  the  Indian  Sea."  Copies  are  found  in  the  Lenox  library, 
New  York,  the  Carter  Brown  collection  in  Providence,  the  Peter  Force 
collection  in  the  Congressional  library  at  Washington,  and  in  the 
library  of  Harvard  College. 

617.  Original  of  the  Da  Vinci  map. 

Loaned  by  Her  Imperial  Majesty  Queen  Victoria  at  the  request  of  the 
President  of  the  United  States. 

This  map  is  entitled  "  Mappemonde  "  and  shows  Newfoundland  and 
Florida  both  as  islands,  and  a  passage  to  a  western  sea  north  of  the 
coast  line  of  South  America.  The  North  Continent  of  America  is  not 
represented,  except  by  these  two  islands.  There  was  published  in  Lon- 
don, 1886,  by  the  Society  of  Antiquaries,  a  volume  entitled  "  Archaeolo*gia 
or  Miscellaneous  Tracts'relating  to  Antiquity"  (Volume  XL),  which  con- 
tains an  extended  article  on  this  map  by  R.  H.  Major. 

It  is  a  curious  fact  that  several  letters  passed  between  Columbus  and 
Leonardo  da  Vinci,  the  celebrated  painter  of  "  The  Last  Supper," 
respecting  a  western  passage  to  the  Indies.  They  were  written  in  1473 
and  1474,  when  Da  Vinci  was  an  engraver  and  map-maker.  This 
original  was  found  among  a  lot  of  sketches  and  drawings  in  the  collec- 
*    tion  of  Queen  Victoria  at  Windsor  castle. 


PUBLICATION    OF    THE    DISCOVERY.  I47 

618.  Original  of  first  chart  of  the  West  Indies,  by  Juan  de  la  Cosa. 

Loaned  by  the  government  of  Spain  at  the  request  of  the  President  of 
the  United  States. 

The  first  map  of  the  West  Indies  was  drawn  by  Juan  de  la  Cosa,  the 
pilot  of  Columbus  on  his  second  voyage,  and  the  original  belongs  in  the 
Naval  museum  at  Madrid.  It  was  drawn  upon  an  ox  hide  in  1500. 
Baron  von  Humboldt  found  it,  in  1832,  in  the  library  of  Herr  Walckner, 
Paris,  and  through  him  it  was  purchased  by  the  Spanish  government. 
La  Cosa  made  several  voyages  to  the  West  Indies  and  along  the  north- 
ern coast  of  South  America,  and  was  killed  by  the  natives  on  the 
Isthmus  of  Darien  in  1509.  It  is  upon  this  map  that  the  alleged  por- 
trait of  Columbus  appears  as  St.  Christopher  with  the  Christ-child  upon 
his  back,  crossing  a  stream,  which  was  intended  to  be  symbolical  of 
his  carrying  Christianity  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  New  World. 

619.  First  picture  illustrating  the  natives  of  America. 

In  1497  an  account  of  the  two  voyages  of  Columbus  was  published  in 
German  at  Augsburg,  without  the  name  of  the  author  or  the  printer,  but 
the  book  is  notable  for  the  reason  that  it  contains  the  first  pictorial  illus- 
tration of  the  manners  and  customs  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  New 
World.  It  is  a  rude  wood  cut  nine, by  thirteen  inches  insize,-  represent- 
ing the  natives  of  the  West  Indies  preparing  a  cannibalistic  feast. 

620.  The  book  of  Philopono. 

Loaned  by  William  E.  Curtis,  Washington. 

Honorio  Philopono  was  a  monk  of  the  order  of  St.  Benedict.  He 
edited  a  book  with  the  following  title:  "  Voyage  to  the  New  World  of 
the  Western  Indies,  given  now  to  the  press,  made  by  the  Most  Rev. 
Father  Dom  Buell,  of  Catalonia,  Abbot  of  Montserrate,  and  Apostolic 
Legate  d  latere  of  the  Holy  See  for  the  whole  America,  or  New  World, 
and  Patriarch  of  the  same,  and  his  associates  or  brethren  of  the  same 
order  of  St.  Benedict,  sent  by  His  Holiness  the  Pope  Alexander  VI  in 
1492,  to  preach  the  Gospel  of  Christ  to  the  barbarous  people  of  those 
regions,  written  upon  the  notes  and  statements  of  several  authors,  and 
illustrated  with  engravings." 

621.  The  first  published  portrait  of  Columbus. 

Wood  cut  copied  from  painting  in  possession  of  Paulus  Jovius,  Bishop 
of  Nocera,  in  his  gallery  on  the  banks  of  Lake  Como. 

622.  Manuscript  copy  in  Latin  of  Ptolemy's  Cosmographiae,  1504. 

623.  The  first  biographies  of  Columbus. 

One  of  the  first  biographies  of  Columbus  published  was  printed  as  a 
note  to  the  119th  Psalm  in  a  polyglot  psalter  on  the  8th  of  April,  1516,  by 
Augustino  Giustiniani,  a  native  of  Genoa  and  a  member  of  the  order  of 


145  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

Dominicans.  He  was  a  man  of  great  learning  and  professor  of  oriental 
languages  in  the  university,  until  made  bishop  of  Corsica  in  1514.  At 
the  request  of  King  Francis  I,  who  founded  the  University  of  Paris, 
Giustiniani  removed  there  to  fill  the  chair  of  Hebrew.  He  was  lost  at 
sea  in  1536,  and  it  is  supposed  he  was  killed  by  pirates. 

It  was  the  first  polyglot  edition  of  any  portion  of  the  Bible  ever  printed, 
and  the  undertaking  was  viewed  with  indifference  by  both  the  religious 
community  and  the  booksellers  of  the  time;  but  Giustiniani  persevered 
and  published  two  thousand  copies  of  his  psalter  at  his  own  expense. 
There  is  no  evidence  that  he  ever  knew  Columbus,  but  he  was  certainly 
aware  that  Columbus  believed  himself  to  have  been  chosen  by  God  to 
fulfill  the  prophecy  contained  in  the  119th  Psalm.  The  following  is 
the  introduction  to  the  good  bishop's  biography. 

The  heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God  and  the  firmament  showeth  His  handiwork. 

Day  unto  day  uttereth  speech  and  night  unto  night  showeth  knowledge. 
-    There  is  no  speech  nor  language  where  their  voice  is  not  known. 

Their  line  has  gone  out  through  all  the  earth  and  their  words  to  the  end  of  the 
world  —  at  least  in  our  own  times,  when,  through  the  wonderful  daring  of  the  Genoese, 
Christopher  Columbus,  almost  a  new  earth  has  been  discovered  and  added  to  the 
Christian  family. 

Then  follows  a  sketch  of  his  life.  It  is  believed  that  this  book  was 
printed  in  1506,  but  it  appears  to  bear  date  of  1516.  The  title  page 
is  the  following: 

"  Psalter,  Hebrew,  Greek,  Arabic  and  Chaldean,  with  three  Latin  interpretations  and 
glossaries.  Printed  with  wonderful  skill  by  Peter  Paul  Porrus  of  Genoa,  in  the  house 
of  Nicholas  Justinian  Paulus  under  the  excellent  Octavius  Fulgoso,  Pre  sident  of  the 
Republic  of  Genoa,  in  the  name  of  the  Most  Illustrious  King  of  France,  in  the  year 
of  the  Christian  Salvation  1516,  October  9,  Peter  Paul  Porrus  of  Milan,  residing  at 
Turin. 

A  copy  of  the  original  edition  of  this  book  was  obtained  for  the  Colum- 
bus collection  of  the  Chicago  Exposition. 
624.     Life  of  Columbus,  by  his  son  Fernando. 

Fernando  Columbus  is  the  reputed  author  of  a  biography  of  his  father 
which  has  been  published  in  several  languages.  Spotorno,  in  the  intro- 
duction to  his  collection  of  documents  concerning  Columbus,  asserts  that 
this  biography  was  taken  to  Genoa  by  Luis  Columbus  after  the  death  of 
Fernando  and  placed  in  the  hands  of  a  friend,  who  delivered  it  to  Alfonso 
de  Ullua,  by  whom  it  was  translated  into  Italian  and  published  at  Venice 
in  1751.  Several  editions  have  since  been  printed  in  different  languages; 
but  Henry  Harrisse  has  expended  a  great  deal  of  labor  in  collecting 
evidence  to  show  that  Fernando  did  not  write  it. 

Washington  Irving  declared  it  to  be  "an  invaluable  document,  entitled 
to  great  faith,  and  the  cornerstone  of  the  history  of  the  American  Con- 
tinent."     John    Fiske  says   that    it   "is  of    priceless   value,"   and   other 


PUBLICATION    OF    THE    DISCOVERY.  1 49 

equally  good  authorities  agree  with  them;  but  Justin  Winsor  admits  that 
there  may  be  doubt  of  its  genuineness—enough  to  keep  it  "constantly 
subject  to  critical  caution."  The  weak  spot  in  the  pedigree  of  the  book 
is  that  there  is  no  copy  in  the  Spanish  language,  and  none  has  ever  been 
seen.  Harrisse  holds  that  the  biography  was  written  in  1525,  perhaps 
under  the  patronage  of  Fernando  Columbus,  by  a  man  named  Perez  de 
Oliva;  that  it  was  transported  to  Italy,  and  half  a  century  afterward  pub- 
lished as  the  work  of  the  son  of  the  admiral  in  order  to  give  it  a  more 
authentic  character  and  an  increased  sale.  However,  the  inscription  upon 
the  tomb  of  Fernando  Columbus  credits  him  with  the  composition. 

625.  First  reference  to  America  in  the  Dutch  language. 

Fac-simile  of  the  title  page  of  Newe  Unbekanthe  Landt,  published  at 
Nuremburg  in  1508.  Originals  in  Lenox,  Carter  Brown  and  Congress- 
ional libraries. 

626.  Works  of  Peter  Martyr. 

Loaned  by  the  Library  of  Congress,  Washington. 

In  April,  1511,  in  the  works  of  Peter  Martyr,  published  at  Seville  by 
James  Corumberger,  a  German  printer,  appears  the  first  consecutive 
and  general  account  of  the  new  world.  And  a  copy  of  this  work  pre- 
served in  the  Columbian  Library,  founded  by  Fernando  Columbus,  at 
Seville,  contains  a  manuscript  map  on  vellum,  which  is  claimed  to  have 
been  made  by  Columbus  himself. 

Pietro  Martire  d'Angliera,  or  Peter  Martyr,  as  he  is  usually  called  in 
English,  was  the  father  of  American  history.  Like  Columbus  and  Amer- 
icus  Vespucius,  he  was  an  Italian,  was  born  in  1459,  and  educated  at 
Rome.  He  went  to  Spain  in  1487,  fought  with  the  Spanish  army  in  the 
war  against  the  Moors  and  was  ordained  as  a  priest  in  1494.  Shortly 
after  he  was  made  tutor  to  the  children  of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella,  and 
a  chaplain  at  court,  but  he  seems  to  have  paid  more  attention  to  litera- 
ture than  to  his  ecclesiastical  duties.  He  was  quick  of  discernment,  a 
great  gossip,  and  had  a  ready  pen,  which  found  occupation  in  the  prep- 
aration of  more  than  eight  hundred  letters  concerning  events  in  Spain, 
which  were  addressed  to  various  distinguished  individuals  from  1488  to 
1526,  when  he  died.  During  the  most  of  this  time  Peter  Martyr  was  the 
official  chronicler  at  court,  which  he  followed  from  place  to  place,  and 
was  a  witness  of  the  most  interesting  scenes  in  that  important  epoch  of 
the  world's  history. 

The  relations  of  Peter  Martyr  with  Columbus  were  intimate,  as  they 
were  with  Americus  Vespucius,  and  other  famous  characters  of  his 
generation,  and  from  him  we  learn  more  of  personal  interest  concerning 
them  than  from  any  other  writer.  Martyr  wrote  in  a  careless,  gossipy 
way,  resembling  the  present   style  of  journalism,  and  was  not  always 


150  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

accurate.  But  his  correspondence  is  most  entertaining,  and  his  letters 
were  transmitted  to  different  parts  of  Europe,  until  they  were  finally 
published  in  a  volume  under  the  title  "De  Orbe  Novo"  (concerning  the 
New  World). 

The  only  copies  of  the  first  edition  known  are  in  the  Carter  Brown 
collection  at  Providence  and  the  Royal  Library  at  Munich.  Subsequent 
editions  are  now  common. 

627.  One  of  the  first  books  published  concerning  America. 

Entitled  "Voyage  of  the  Spaniards  in  the  West  Indies." 

628.  A  history  of  the  voyage  of  Magellan,  1519-1522,  by  Antonio  Pigafetta. 

Loaned  by  William  E.  Curtis,  Washington,  D.  C. 

This  book  is  responsible  for  a  great  many  of  the  romances  in  other 
early  publications  about  South  America. 

629.  The  Cosmographiae  of  Peter  Apianus,  1524. 

Loaned  by  William  E.  Curtis,  Washington,  D.  C. 

The  first  geographic  description  of  America  appears  in  the  Cosmo- 
graphiae of  Peter  Apianus,  printed  at  Antwerp,  and  reads  as  follows: 

America,  now  called  the  fourth  division  of  the  earth,  derived  its  name  from  that  of 
Americus  Vespucius,  its  discoverer.  It  is  also,  and  not  without  reason,  called  an  island, 
because  it  is  surrounded  everywhere  by  the  sea.  Owing  to  its  being  so  far  away  it  was 
not  known  either  to  Ptolemy  or  other  ancient  writers.  It  was  discovered,  through  the 
efforts  of  the  King  of  Castile,  in  the  year  1497  of  the  Christian  era.  America  is  also 
called  "The  New  World"  on  account  of  its  vast  extant.  Its  inhabitants  go  about,  irx 
some  localities,  without  any  dress.  Some  of  them  are  anthropophagi  of  the  most  cruel 
description.  They  are  exceedingly  expert  in  archery,  obey  no  one,  and  have  no  lords  or 
kings.  Excellent  swimmers  are  found  among  them  in  either  sex.  They  have  no  iron, 
or  other  metals,  but  use  the  teeth  of  fishes  and  other  animals  to  make  the  heads  of  their 
arrows. 

It  is  there  also  where  that  animal  is  found  which  has  a  bag  or  purse  below  its  chest, 
where  the  little  ones  are  carried,  and  out  of  which  they  are  not  taken  by  their  mothers 
except  to  be  fed. 

The  natives  of  America  are  generally  thin  and  light,  and  run  with  great  swiftness. 
Their  ornaments  consist  of  feathers  of  various  colors,  and  of  gems  or  stones  which  they 
hang,  sometimes  in  great  number,  from  Sbeir  ears  and  lips.  Pearls  and  good  gold,  and 
other  similar  things  are  nothing  for  them.  When  they  give  they  are  very  liberal;  tfut 
when  they  receive  they  are  very  avaricious.  They  cause  themselves  to  be  bled  from  the^ 
calf  of  the  leg  and  from  the  loins. 

Some  of  them  bury  their  dead  and  place  water  and  food  in  the  graves.  Some  others 
place  their  dead,  and  even  those  who  are  dying,  in  some  kind  of  net  or  hammock,  which 
they  suspend  from  the  trees  in  the  forests,  and  spend  the  whole  day  dancing  around  it. 

They  worship  the  sun,  the  moon  and  the  stars.  Their  mansions  are  built  in  the  shape- 
of  a  bell,  and  are  roofed  with  palm  leaves.  They  have  no  wheat,  but  they  grind  tiie 
roots  of  some  trees  and  make  bread  out  of  them. 

This  island  is  situated  precisely  in  that  part  of  the  world,  in  which  the  sun  sets  for 
us,  the  German  people.  Although  it  may  on  our  map  appear  on  the  east,  it  is  because  of 
the  necessities  of  the  drawing.  When  the  map  (as  it  is  called)  be  properly  rolled  up, 
so  as  to  cause  the  equinoctial  line  to  form  a  perfect  circle— the  earth  and  the  waters 


PUBLICATION    OF    THE    DISCOVERY.  I  5  I 

which  the  latter  divides  into  two  great  parts  to  appear  round — then  it  will  be  seen  that 
it  is  on  the  west. 

America  has  also  several  adjacent  islands,  as,  for  instance,  the  Parian  Island,  the 
Isabella,  which  is  also  called  Cuba,  the  Hispaniola  in  which  the  Guayaco  tree  is  found, 
the  wood  of  which  is  used  as  a  remedy  against  syphilis  (morbum  gallicum). 

The  natives  of  the  Hispaniola  Island,  instead  of  using  bread,  feed  themselves  with 
roots  and  with  large  snakes. 

Habits  and  worship  in  these  adjacent  islands  are  similar  to  those  of  America. 

630.  The  Cosmographiae  of  Peter  Apianus. 

Published  in  1529.     Loaned  by  William  E.  Curtis,  Washington. 

This  is  one  of  the  first  books  concerning  America,  and  contains  a 
revolving  diagram  illustrating  the  movement  of  the  earth,  moon  and 
stars  upon  a  globe  which  bears  the  name  Ameri.  It  also  contains  the 
first  general  description  of  America  that  was  ever  published.  Peter 
Apianus  was  born  in  Saxony,  1495,  and  was  professor  in  the  university 
for  more  than  thirty  years.  His  reward  for  this  geography  was  the  order 
of  knighthood  from  Charles  V,  and  three  thousand  crowns.  He  was  the 
designer  of  the  earliest  map  that  contains  the  name  America. 

631.  First  allusion  in  English  concerning  America. 

Loaned  by  the  Congressional  Library,  Washington. 

The  first  allusion  to  the  newly-discovered  world  in  the  English  lan- 
guage is  found  in  a  curious  old  book,  entitled  "Ye  Shyppe  of  Fooles," 
written  by  Richard  Eden,  and  published  by  Sebastian  Brant,  in  London, 
1509.  It  was  a  satire  intended  to  ridicule  the  prevailing  follies  and  vices 
of  the  age,  under  the  allegory  of  a  ship  freighted  with  fools,  and  in  the 
chapter  "Of  hym  that  will  wryte  and  enquere  of  all  regyons,"  occurs  this 
passage: 

The  thurde  the  whiche  is  unknowenof  prystes  that  never  had  ben  manyfestewas  the 
not  f  ounde  with  the  eye  and  not  with  the  herte.  There  was  one  that  knewe  that  in  ye 
ysles  of  Spayne  was  inhabytantes.  Wherefore  he  asked  men  of  Kynge  Ferdynandus 
and  wente  and  founde  them,  the  whiche  lyved  as  beestes. 

There  is  only  one  copy  of  the  original  known,  which  is  in  the  National 
Library  at  Paris. 

About  a  year  later,  in  a  drama  written  by  some  unknown  author, 
appears  a  description  of  "dyvers  strange  regyons  and  of  newe  founde 
landys  in  America." 

632.  Title  page  of  one  of  the  first  books  printed  about  America  concerning 

the  discovery  of  Yucatan. 
Published  in  1522. 

633.  The  first  three  English  books  on  America,  1511-1555. 

Being  translations,  compilations,  etc.,  by  Richard  Eden,  from  the 
writings  of  Peter  Martyr  (1455-1526),  Sebastian  Munster  (1489-1552)  and 
Sebastian  Cabot  (1474-1557). 

The  first  English  book  on  America  was  entitled: 

Of  the  newe  landes  and  of  ye  people  founde  by  the  messengers  of  the  kynge  of 


I  $2  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

Portyngale  named  Emanuel.  Of  the  x.  dyuers  nacyons  crystened.  Of  Hope  John  and 
his  landes  and  of  the  costely  keyes  and  wonders  molodyes  that  in  that  land  is. 

Published  at  Antwerp  in  1511. 

The  second  English  book  on  America  was  entitled: 

.  "A  treatise  of  the  newe  India,  with  other  new  founde  landes  and  Hands,  as  well 
eastwarde  as  westwarde,  as  they  are  knowen  and  found  in  these  oure  dayes,  after  the 
description  of  Sebastian  Munster  in  his  boke  of  universall  Cosmographie;  wherein  the 
diligent  reader  may  see  the  good  successe  and  rewarde  of  noble  and  honeste  enterpryses , 
by  the  which  not  only  worldly  ryches  are  obtayned,  but  also  God  is  glorified  and  the 
Christian  fayth  enlarged. 

Published  in  London,  1553. 

The  third  English  book  on  America  was  entitled: 

The  decades  of  the  newe  worlde  or  West  India,  conteynying  the  nauigations  and 
conquests  of  the  Spanyardes,  with  the  particular  description  of  the  most  ryche  and 
largp  landes  and  ilandes  lately  founde  in  the  west  Ocean  perteyning  to  the  inheritance 
of  the  kinges  of  Spayne.  In  the  which  the  dilligent  reader  may  not  only  consider  what 
commoditie  may  hereby  chaunce  to  the  hole  Christian  wo-Id  in  tyme  to  come,  but  also 
learne  many  secreates  touchynge  the  landd,  the  sea,  and  the  etarres,  very  necessarie  to 
be  known  to  al  such  as  shal  attempte'any  nauigations,  or  otherwise  haue  delite  to  be- 
holde  the  strange  and  wonderf  ull  woorkes  of  God  and  nature. 

Published  in  London,  1555. 

634.  Oviedo's  History  of  the  Indies. 

Loaned  by  William  E.  Curtis,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Gonzalez  Fernandez  de  Oviedo  y  Valdez,  who  was  born  in  1478  and 
died  in"  1557,  was  the  author  of  a  History  of  the  Indies,  published  in  1525, 
and  gained  a  great  part  of  his  information  concerning  the  discovery 
from  Columbus  himself.  At  the  age  of  thirteen  he  was  appointed  a 
page  at  court,  and  witnessed  the  reception  of  the  admiral  at  Barcelona 
on  his  return  from  the  newly  found  world.  He  crossed  the  Atlantic 
twelve  times  and  resided  in  America  nearly  thirty-four  years,  holding 
various  important  official  positions. 

Copies  of  the  original  edition  of  his  history  are  found  in  the  Congres- 
sional library  at  Washington,  in  the  Lenox  library  at  New  York,  the 
Carter  Brown  collection  at  Providence,  and  in  Harvard  College  library.* 

635.  Two  copies,  etc.,  Novus  Orbis  Grynaeus. 

Published  at  Basle,  1532.     Loaned  by  William  E.  Curtis,  Washington. 

John  Huttich  compiled  this  geography,  but  Simon  Grynaeus  wrote  the 
preface  and  got  his  name  on  the  title  page.  He  was  one  of  the  early 
reformers,  a  personal  friend  and  associate  of  Luther,  Calvin  and  Mel- 
ancthon,  and  the  fortunate  discoverer  of  the  last  five  books  of  Livy.  This 
is  one  of  the  most  important  historical  works  in  existence,  as  it  contains 
the  first  connected  description  of  the  three  voyages  of  Columbus — pages 
90-118 — also  the  first  connected  description  of  the  voyages  of  Americus 
Vespucius.     The   map    is   especially  interesting,  as   it  represents  South 


PUBLICATION    OF    THE    DISCOVERY.  1 53 

America  as  a  very  large  island  separated  by  a  narrow  strait  from  anothei 
large  island  called  "Terra  de  Cuba"  just  east  of  Zipangi,  which  is  Japan. 
The  island  of  Hispaniola  is  just  to  the  eastward.  The  map  is  sur- 
rounded by  pictures  of  monsters  which  were  seen  by  the  early  vOyagers 
to  the  New  World. 

636.  Portrait  of  Bartholomew  de  Las  Casas. 

The  most  famous  of  the  historians  of  the  time  of  Columbus  was  the 
Friar  Bartholomew  de  Las  Casas,  who  was  born  in  1474,  died  in  1566, 
and  wrote  the  "Historia  General  de  las  Indias"  in  three  volumes,  which 
has  never  been  published,  but  manuscript  copies  are  to  be  found  in  the 
Lenox  library,  New  York;  the  Congressional  library  at  Washington,  and 
the  library  of  Harvard  college.  The  father  of  Las  Casas  accompanied 
Columbus  in  1492, and  his  narrative  of  that  expedition  was  an  abstract  of 
the  log  book  kept  by  the  admiral  during  the  voyage.  Columbus  also 
entrusted  to  him  most  of  his  papers.  A  translation  of  this  narrative  was 
published  in  English  by  Samuel  Kettele,  of  Boston,  in  1827.  » 

637.  Cosmographiae  Universales,  by  Sebastian  Munster. 

Published  at  Basle,  1554.  This  book  is  especially  prized  because  of 
its  maps.     Loaned  by  William  E.  Curtis,  Washington. 

638.  Letter  of  Hernando  de  Soto  to  the  justices  and  board  of  magistrates 

of  Santiago  de  Cuba. 

Concerning  his  discoveries  in  Florida,  July  9, 1539.  Loaned  by  William 
E.  Curtis,  Washington. 

The  Relacio7i  and  Comcntarios  constitutes  a  doubly  remarkable  volume, 
each  of  its  parts  taking  a  primary  rank  in  the  annals  of  the  New  W^orld. 
The  Relation  printed  in  1555  for  the  second  time,  but  of  the  first  edition 
of  which  in  1542  only  one  copy  is  now  extant,  describes  the  wanderings 
of  Cabeca  de  Vaca  with  the  luckless  survivors  of  the  expedition  that  had 
set  out  in  1527  for  the  conquest  of  Florida  (by  which  was  meant  all  the 
region  afterward  known  as  Florida  and  Louisiana).  It  is  the  record  of 
the  first  journey  made  by  Europeans  through  the  United  States.  Cabeca 
de  Vaca  and  a  few  others  who  survived  the  shipwreck  of  the  expedition, 
were  seized  by  the  Indians  on  the  Mississippi  coast  and  held  in  slavery 
for  four  years,  but  escaped  and  made  their  way  inland  across  Texas  and 
Sonora,  or  near  to  the  inmost  shore  of  the  Gulf  of  California.  Thence  he 
and  his  three  companions  traversed  the  country  southward,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  reaching  Mexico  once  more.  On  his  return  to  Spain,  1537, 
having  failed  to  get  the  governorship  of  Florida,  which  had  been  given 
to  Soto,  he  obtained  that  01  the  River  Plata  in  1540.  He  arrived  in 
Uruguay  in  1541,  and  proceeded  to  Asuncion,  the  capital  of  Paraguay, 
where  Spanish  authority  was  now  seated,  the  site  of  Buenos  Ayres  having 


154  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

been  abandoned.  His  work  thenceforward  was  the  exploration  of  the 
regions  around  the  Paraguay  and  Parana,  the  conciliation  of  the  Indian 
tribes,  and  discovery  of  the  route  toward  Peru.  He  was,  however,  made 
prisoner  by  mutineers,  and  sent  back  to  Spain  in  1546.  His  secretary, 
Pedro  Hernandez,  wrote  this  narrative  (which  is  the  first  printed  account 
of  the  Plata  region),  to  which  is  appended  a  Relacion  made  in  1545  by 
Hernando  de  Ribera,  whom  Cabeca  de  Vaca  had  sent  on  a  journey  of 
exploration  northward  up  the  River  Paraguay. 

639.  The  narrative  of  Alvar  Nunez  Cabeca  de  Vaca. 

Printed  at  Valladolid,  1555,  concerning  the  first  exploration  of  the 
continent  of  North  America  from  the  coast  of  Florida  to  the  city  of 
Mexico.     Loaned  by  Willian  E.  Curtis,  Washington. 

640.  The  log  book  of  Columbus. 

A  translation  of  the  journal  of  Columbus  was  published  in  English  by 
Samuel  Kettele,  of  Boston,  in  1827.  The  manuscript  of  Las  Casas' 
history  was  entrusted  to  the  Dominican  monks  at  Seville,  with  an  injunc- 
tion not  to  permit  any  one  to  use  them  until  forty  years  had  elapsed;  but 
when  the  time  came  to  release  it,  the  work  had  been  forgotten,  nor  was  it 
discovered  until  a  century  or  more  afterward.  Since  then  no  publisher 
has  been  found  to  undertake  the  work,  although  the  Royal  Academy  of 
History  at  Madrid  has  several  times  announced  an  intention  to  do  so. 

Las  Casas  was,  however,  the  author  of  numerous  other  works  concern- 
ing America,  which  have  been  published. 

641.  Bibliotheca  Americana. 

During  the  sixteenth  century  the  literature  concerning  the  New 
World  became  very  voluminous,  and  Henry  Harrisse,  in  his  Bibliotheca 
Americana,  mentions  four  hundred  and  fifty-four  published  works  bear- 
ing on  the  subject.  The  first  publication  was  a  letter  from  Americus 
Vespucius,  which  appeared  early  in  1502. 

642.  The  burial  place  of  Columbus. 

The  official  report  of  the  government  of  Spain  upon  the  dispute  con* 
cerning  the  location  of  the  remains  of  Columbus. 

643.  Christopher  Columbus  and  the  Bank  of  St.  George. 

By  Henry  Harrisse.     Loaned  by  William  E.  Curtis,  Washington. 

Intended  to  demonstrate  the  forgery  of  an  autograph  letter  of  Colum- 
bus offered  for  sale  in  1888.  This  book  was  privately  printed  by  the 
late  S.  L.  M.  Barlow,  and  contains  a  great  deal  of  valuable  information 
concerning  Columbus  that  was  never  before  published. 

644.  Cartas  de  las  Indias. 

Loaned  by  William  E.  Curtis. 

This  book  is  a  collection  of  documents,  including  valuable  letters 
hitherto  unpublished,   from    Columbus,   Vespucius,   Las   Casas,    Bernal 


PUBLICATION    OF    THE    DISCOVERY.  1 55 

Diaz,  Cortez  and  others,  to  officials  and  individuals  in  Spain  during  the 
latter  part  of  the  fifteenth  and  the  early  part  of  the  sixteenth  centuries, 
with  biographical  notes,  fac-similes,  charts,  maps,  etc.  Published  by  the 
government  of  Spain  in  1877. 

645.  Columbus  at  Pavia. 

A  publication  by  the  faculty  of  the  University  of  Pavia,  Italy, 
intended  to  demonstrate  that  Columbus  was  once  a  student  there. 
Loaned  by  William  E.  Curtis,  Washington. 

646.  The  birthplace  of  Columbus. 

Loaned  by  William  E.  Curtis,  Washington. 

This  is  a  pamphlet  of  eighty-three  pages  with  six  plates  attached  to 
it,  fully  discussing  the  exact  location  of  the  two  houses  owned  by  Domi- 
nic Columbus  in  Stephen's  Ward,  Genoa.  It  proposes  to  show  that  the 
current  belief  that  the  house  of  his  residence  was  built  on  the  Molcento 
hill  is  erroneous,  and  that  its  true  location  was  at  the  Boulevard  de 
Ponticelli,  near  the  gate  of  St.  Andrea.  It  gives  the  whole  history  of 
that  house,  marked  then  "No.  37,"  and  shows  all  the  different  owners 
through  which  it  has  passed  up  to  the  present  days  and  explains  what 
its  arrangements  were,  etc. 

647.  Stevens'  American  Bibliographer,  containing  a  list  of  publications  relat- 

ing to  America,   from  the  embarkation  of  Columbus   in   1492  to  the 
adoption  of  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States  in  1789. 
Loaned  by  William  E.  Curtis,  Washington. 

648.  Life  of  Columbus,  by  Aaron  Goodrich   of  Minnesota. 

Entitled  "A  History  of  the  Character  and  Achievements  of  the 
so-called  Christopher  Columbus.  "  It  is  intended  to  prove  that  Colum- 
bus was  an  impostor.      Loaned  by  William  E.  Curtis,  Washington. 

649.  The  memorials  of  Columbus. 

A  collection  of  authentic  documents  translated  into  English.  Loaned 
by  William  E.  Curtis,  Washington. 

650.  Extracts  from  the  National  Intelligencer. 

Published  at  Washington,  May  17,  1827,  giving  an  account  of  the  first 
voyage  of  Columbus  to  America. 

651.  De  Bry's  Voyages. 

Loaned  by  the  Department  of  State. 

One  of  the  rarest  books  in  American  literature.  Published  in  1595  by 
Theodore  De  Bry  of  Antwerp.  It  contains  the  most  elaborate  engrav- 
ings of  the  New  World  ever  published. 

652.  De  Bry's  Voyages. 

Loaned  by  Thos.  W.  Keer,  London. 


1 56  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

653.  Minister's   Cosmographiae,   published    at  Basle,   1598,  with  twenty-six 

maps  and  several  hundred  wood  cuts. 
Loaned  by  William  E.  Curtis,  Washington. 

654.  Manuscript   atlas  of  the  sixteenth  century,  beautifully  illuminated  on 

parchment. 

Loaned  by  Prince  Stolberg,  of  Wernigerode,  Germany. 

655.  A  book   of  the  Memorable   Events  of  Spain. 

By  Maestro  Pedro  de  Medina.     Published  in  1566.     Loaned  by  R.  W. 
Turner,  U  S.  Consul,  Cadiz,  Spain. 
On  page  64  is  a  map  of  the  New  World  as  it  was  then  known. 

656.  First  Part  of  the  Historical  Notices  of  the  Conquest  of  the  West  Indies 

and  the  Spanish  Main. 

By  Padre  Fray  Pedro  Simon,  1626.  Loaned  by  R.  W.  Turner,  U.  S. 
Consul,  Cadiz,  Spain. 

657.  John  Ogilby's  History  of  America,  1671. 

Loaned  by  William  E.  Curtis,  Washington,  D.  C. 

One  of  the  first  books  in  English  on  the  New  World,  containing  many 
remarkable  engravings,  including  a  picture  of  New  York,  probably  the 
first  that  was  ever  printed. 

658.  Manuscript  volume  in  German  dated  1736. 

Relating  the  adventures  of  a  party  of  emigrants  from  Salzberg,  Ger- 
many, to  Georgia  in  the  year  1735.  Loaned  by  Prince  Stolberg,  of 
Wernigerode,  Germany. 

659.  Title-page  of  first  book  printed  in  America,  1555. 

Molina's  Mexican  Dictionary,  printed  in  the  city  of  Mexico  sixty  years 
before  any  book  was  printed  in  what  is  now  the  United  States. 

660.  The  smallest  book  ever  published. 

An  almanac  for  the  year  1841.  Illustrated  by  the  Hon.  Mrs.  Norton. 
Published  by  A.  Schloss,  London.     Loaned  by  Thos.  W.  Keer,  London. 

661.  Illustrations  from  the  American  Retectio. 


THE    CHRISTENING    OF    THE    CONTINENT.  1 57 


SECTION  M.     THE  CHRISTENING   OF   THE  CONTINENT.     HOW 
THE  NEWLY-DISCOVERED    WORLD  RECEIVED  THE  NAME 

AMERICA.* 


670.  Portrait    of    Americus    Vespucius. 

Loaned  by  Francis  Colton,  of  Washington,  I).  C,  by  whom  it  was 
purchased  at  Venice  about  1860,  from  an  ancient  Italian  collection. 
Believed  to  be  from  life. 

The  man  whose  name  was  given  to  the  western  hemisphere  is 
referred  to  in  contemporaneous  writings  as  Albericus,  Emeric,  Alberico, 
Americo,  Morigo,  Amerigo,  Almerigo  and  Americus.  His  surname  is 
given  as  Espuche,  Vespuche,  Despucchi,  Vespuccio,  Vespucci. 
Christopher  Columbus,  in  a  letter  to  his  son  Diego,  in  February,  1505, 
writes  of  him  as  Vespuchy.  He  was  the  son  of  a  notary  at  Florence, 
and  came  from  a  large  and  influential  family.  A  hospital  founded  by 
his  ancestors  is  still  standing.  He  was  educated  by  his  uncle,  a  learned 
friar,  and  Peitro  Soderini,  Gonfalonier  of  Florence  from  1502  to  1512,  to 
whom  one  of  his  letters  was  addressed,  and  King  Rene,  of  Lorraine. 

671.  Portrait   of  Americus   Vespucius,   painted   from   life   by    Bronzino,  an 

Italian  artist  and  pupil  of  Michael  Angelo. 

Owned  by  Air.  Joseph  D.  McGuire,  of  Ellicott  City,  Maryland.  Pur- 
chased by  his  father  about  the  year  1850  from  Mr.  C.  Edwards  Lester, 
for  many  years  Consul  of  the  United  States  at  Genoa. 

672.  Letter  from  Americus  Vespucius  to  his  father. 

Vespucius,  like  Columbus,  was  a  prolific  writer,  and  being  a  man  of 
fine  education  his  accounts  of  his  voyages  and  descriptions  of  the  places 
visited  are  more  intelligently  presented  than  those  of  other  voyagers  of 
his  day.  His  narratives  were  addressed  chiefly  to  his  former  friends  and 
patrons  in  Italy,  who  had  them  printed,  and  they  were  more  widely  cir- 
culated than  those  of  Columbus.  At  least  twenty  editions  were  pub- 
lished between  1502  and  1508  in  the  Latin,  Italian,  German  and  Dutch 
languages,  at  Florence,  Rome,  Venice,  Antwerp,  Nuremburg,  Saint  Die, 
Leipsic,  Strassburg,  Basle  and  Paris,  and  it  was  in  the  edition  issued  at 
Saint  Die,  in  1507,  that  the  name  of  America  was  suggested  for  the  New 
World.  It  has  been  demonstrated  beyond  a  doubt,  however,  that 
Americus  never  knew,  or  believed,  or  expected,  that  he  was  to  be  thus 


*For  the  original  photographs  from  which  these  illustrations  of  St.  Die  were  made,  and  the 
descriptive  text  of  this  catalogue  referring  to  them,  the  author  is  indebted  to  Captain  Frank 
H.  Mason,  U.  S.  Consul  at  Frankfort,  Germany. 


I58  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

immortalized  ;  and  although  for  four  centuries  he  has  been  anathema- 
tized as  an  impostor  and  a  thief,  so  able  and  disinterested  an  authority  as 
Baron  von  Humboldt  has,  after  an  investigation  of  years,  absolved  him 
entirely  from  all  attempts  to  rob  Columbus  of  the  honor  and  glory  that 
to  him  belonged. 

Nothing  is  known  of  Americus  Vespucius  until  1495,  when,  as  manager 
of  the  house  Juanoto  Berardi  at  Seville,  he  obtained  a  contract  for  the 
supplies  for  the  third  voyage  of  Columbus,  receiving  from  the  treasury 
of  Spain  on  the  12th  of  January,  1496,  the  sum  of  10,000  maravedis.  He 
was  in  Portugal  from  1501  until  1505.  Then  he  returned  to  Spain,  and 
with  a  letter  of  introduction  from  Columbus  repaired  to  the  court  of 
King  Ferdinand,  who  employed  him  in  fitting  out  fleets  for  the  Indies. 
In  1506  he  was  associated  with  Juan  de  la  Cosa,  the  famous  pilot  of 
Columbus,  in  an  expedition.  In  1508  he  was  made  chief  pilot  of  the 
Indies,  and  was  given  a  salary  equivalent  to  about  $2,000  a  year.  He 
died  at  Seville  in  1512,  highly  respected,  but  never  dreaming  that  he  had 
visited  a  new  continent  which  was  forever  to  bear  his  name.  Like 
Columbus,  he  always  supposed  the  newly  discovered  lands  were  the 
islands  or  coast  of  India  or  Japan. 

673a.  Petition  from  the  descendants   of  Americus  Vespucius   for  a  pension 

from  the  United  States. 

While  Mr.  Edward  Lester  was  United  States  Consul  at  Genoa  he  formed 
an  acquaintance  with  the  family  of  Americus  Vespucius,  and  undertook 
to  secure  for  them  a  pension  from  Congress  and  a  grant  of  land;  Some 
years  before  Elena  Vespucci,  one  of  the  descendants,  came  to  Washing- 
ton and  presented  a  petition  for  the  same  purpose,  but  her  efforts  were 
futile.  The  other  surviving  descendants,  however,  presented  in  1850 
through  Mr.  Lester  a  petition  asking: 

1.  That  the  Congress  of  the  United  States  grant  to  them  and  their  descendants  the 
right  of  citizenship. 

2.  That  Congress  grant  them  a  sufficient  tract  of  land  to  enable  them  "to  maintain 
with  respectability  the  name  of  their  ancestor,  of  which  they  are  so  proud. 

The  petition  concludes  with  the  following  words: 

The  remarkable  events  which  have  of  late  years  convulsed  Europe,  and  destroyed 
the  estates  of  so  many  ancient  families,  have  also  wrecked  the  fortunes  of  the  Vespucci 
race.  They  are  at  present  reduced  to  poverty,  though  they  yet  hope  for  better  fortunes 
through  the  generosity  of  the  great  American  people. 

(Signed)  AMERIGO  VESPUCCI, 

ELIZA  VESPUCCI, 
TERESA  VESPUCCI. 

Congress  failed  to  act  upon  the  petition,  but  the  family,  as  a  mark  of 
gratitude,  presented  Mr.  Lester  with  the'  portrait  which  had  descended 
from  generation  to  generation,  and  he  disposed  of  it  to  Mr.  J.  C.  Mc- 
Guire,  of  Washington,  after   repeated   attempts  to  sell  it  to  the  govern- 


THE    CHRISTENING    OF    THE    CONTINENT. 


159 


673b. 
674. 


675a. 


ment.     Documents  to  show  the  genuineness   of  the  portrait  were  depos- 
ited in  the  Library  of  Congress,  where  they  still  remain. 
Report   of  the    Committee   on    Claims  of  the    United   States   Senate 

against  granting  a  pension  to  the  descendants  of  Americus  Vespucius. 
Title  page  of  the  book  that  named  America. 

In  the  first  edition  of  April  25th  the  title  page  is  thus  arranged: 


COSMOGR.APHTAB  INTRODVCTIO/ 
CVM  QVIBVSDAM 
GEOMETRIAE 
AC 
ASTRONO 
MJAE  PRINCIPHS 
ADEAM  REM  NECESSARIIS 

Infupcr  quatuor  Amend  Ve* 
fpucij  nauigattones. 

Vniuerfalis  Cbofmographi;r  cWcriptia 
tarn  in  fblido  cpplano  Zeis  cuaro 
inferos  que  Ptholomco 
iguotaanupcris 
repent 
iunt. 


DISTICHON 

Cum  ileus  aftra  regat/8f  terra? climata  Cactar 
Nee  cellu$  ncc  cis  fydcra  maius  habent. 


From  Harper's  Magazine. — Copyright,  1892,  by  Harper  &  Brothers. 

Original  copy  of  the  first  edition  of  the  book  that  christened  America. 

Loaned  by  Charles  F.  Gunther,  Chicago. 

For  more  than  three  centuries  Vespucci  rested  under  the  disgrace  of 
having  usurped  the  title  of  the  lands  which  Columbus  discovered.  It 
was  not  until  1837  that  Alexander  von  Humboldt  pointed  out  the  real 
culprit  and  showed  that  the  name  America  was  first  suggested  by  a  par- 
agraph in  a  small  Latin  treatise  written  by  Martin  Waldseemuller,  and 
published  during  the  year  1507  at  Saint  Die,  a  village  in  southeastern 
Lorraine.     This  little  book  was  entitled,  "Cosmographiae  Introduction 


l60  THE    RELICS    OE    COLUMBUS. 

"The  Rudiments  of  Geography,"  and  the  story  of  its  authorship  and  pub- 
lication, and  the  unforeseen  part  it  played  in  christening  the  western 
hemisphere,  forms  one  of  the  most  curious  and  fascinating  narratives  in 
the  whole  record  of  bibliography. 

The  manuscript  of  "Cosmographiae"  was  begun  during  the  summer  of 
1506,  within  a  month,  it  may  be,  of  the  day  when  Christopher  Columbus, 
already  poor,  neglected  and  discredited  at  court,  was  laid  in  his  humble 
grave.  It  was  finished  during  the  following  winter,  and  the  first  edition 
was  published  on  the  "VII  Kalend,  May,  1507,"  which  corresponds  under 
the  Gregorian  calendar  to  the  25th  of  April  in  that  year.  The  success  of 
the  enterprise  was  immediate  and  extraordinary .  Four  editions  of  the 
"Cosmographiae"  were  published  at  Saint  Die  within  less  than  five 
months,  two  bearing  the  date  of  April  25th,  as  above  staged,  and  two  more 
marked  the  "III  Kalends  Septembris,"  which  corresponds  to  the  29th  of 
August.     The  title  is  as  follows: 

Introduction  to  Cosmography,  together  with  some  principles  of  Geometry  necessary 
to  the  purpose.  Also  four  voyages  (navigationes)  of  Americus  Vespucius.  A  descrip- 
tion of  universal  Cosmography,  both  stereometrical  and  planometrical,  together  with 
what  was  unknown  to  Ptolemy  and  has  been  recently  discovered. 

Distich.     Neither    the    earth  nor  the  stars  possess  anything  greater  than  God  or 
Csesar,  for  the  God  rules  the  stars  and  Caesar  the  climes  of  the  earth. 
675b.  Duplicate  copy  of  the  book  that  named  America. 

Opened  at  the  page  on  which  the  suggestion  is  made.  Loaned  by 
Baer,  Frankfort,  Germany.     (For  sale.) 

676.  View  of  the  old  monastery  at  Saint  Die,  where  was  written  the  book 

that  christened  America. 

Among  the  inmates  of  the  monastery  the  three  most  notable  were  the 
poet  Pierre  de  Blarru,  Jean  Basin,  an  accomplished  linguist,  and  Wal- 
tier  or  Gautrin  Lud,  director  of  the  mines  of  Lorraine  and  secretary  to 
Duke  Rene  II,  the  sovereign  of  the  province  and  one  of  the  most 
enlightened  princes  of  his  time.  To  these  were  subsequently  added 
Martin  Waldseemuller  and  Matthias  Ringman,  both  of  whom  were  dis- 
tinguished as  linguists,  geographers  and  devotees  of  science  and  letters. 

677.  Fac-simile  of  the  page  that  named  America. 

Under  the  ninth  title,  "  De  quibusdam  cosmographicc  rudimentis"  the 
author  who  has  been  describing  Europe,  Asia  and  Africa  as  three 
climates  or  grand  divisions  of  the  globe,  as  designated  by  Ptolemy, 
abruptly  launches  the  following  proposition: 

AMERICO.  Nunc  vero  and  hecpartes  sunt  latius  lustratse  et  alia  quarta  pars  per 
Americu  Vesputium  (Vt  in  sequentibus  audietur)  inventa  est-qua  nun  video  cur 
quis  iure  vetet  ab  Americo  inventore  sagaeis  ingenij  vim  Amerigen  quasi  Americi 
terram  sive  Americam  discendam-cum  Europa  et  Asia  a  mulieribus  sua  fortita  sint 
nomina. 

Which  in  English  reads: 
But  now  (hat  these  parts  have  been  more  widely  explored,  and  another  fourth  part 


THE    CHRISTENING    OF    THE    CONTINENT.  l6l 

discovered  by  Americus  Vespucius  (as  will  be  seen  hereafter) ,  I  do  not  see  why  we 
should  quietly  refuse  to  name  it  America,  namely,  the  land  of  Americus  or  America, 
after  its  discoverer  Americus,  a  man  of  sagacious  mind,  since  both  Europe  and  Asia 
derived  their  names  from  women. 


COSMOGRPHfAB 

.  Capadodam/Pamplnh>.m/Lidiam/CiIid.t/Arme 
mas  matore  -5C  miiiore.CoIchiJerv Hircamam/Hi# 
bextarri/Albania>etprctcrca  mfta.;  qua*  finoilatim 
cnumerarelongamora  cYTet.Ua  dictx  ab  ems  nomi 
msrcgina. 

Ntic  tfo  cV  hf  partes  furtt fatkh  \uftva.tx/$C alia 
quart  a  pars  per  America  Vefpimucvt  in  fcqueuti 
bu*  audietur  Jmuenta  efr.  qui  non  video  cur  quis 
iuiv  yctet  ab  Amcrico  inucntorc  fagacis  ingchrj  vi 
Ameri;  ro  Amengeiujuafi  Amcrici  terr.T.  hue  Amcricam" 
ca  dtcend»:cti  5.'  Europa  5v  Alia amulicnbus  fuaibir 

tica  fnit  nomina.Eius  firu  Sc  gentis  mores  ex  bis  bi 
nis  Amend  nauigarionibiis  qua:  icquunt'liquide 
uueliigidatur.  • 

Huncmmodu  terra  iam  quadripartira  co*no* 
icmct  funt  rres  prime  partes  corinentc?  quartacil: 
infulatcu  orrtm"  quacp  man  circudata  confpiciar.Ec 
licet  m  ire  vnu  fit  qucadmodu ct  ipfa  tellus/mulris 
tameufinibus  diftmcvtiim  &  innumeris  replctum 
Prifcia  ,muI*s  vari;*  ^ibi  noia  affurnit  :quc  ct  in  Cofmogra 
phix  tabulis  cofpiciunt.  $C  Prifcianus  in  tralatione 
IDionifrj  talibus,cnumcrat  verfibus. 
Circuit  Oceani  gurges  tamert  vndicf*  vaftus 
Quiijjuis  vnus  fitplurinta  nommafurnit. 
linibus  Hefperrjs  Athlanricus  ille  vocatur 
At  Borec  qua  gens  furit  Armiafpa  fub  armis 
Dicic  tile  pigcr  nemo  Sacur.ide  Mortuus  eft  alijs; 


nus» 


From  Harper's  Magazine.  Copyright,  1892,  by  Harper  &  Brothers. 

The  page  that  named  America. 

"  But  for  these  nine  lines,"  says  Harrisse,  "  written  by  an  obscure  geog- 
rapher in  a  little  village  of  the  Vosges.the  western  hemisphere  might 
have  been  called  'The  Land  of  the  Holy  Cross,'  or  'Atlantis,'  or 
'Columbia,'  '  Hesperides,'  or  'Iberia,'  'New  India,'  or  simply  'The 
Indies,'  as  it  is  designated  officially  in  Spain  to  this  day." 

As  it  was,  however,  the  suggestion  of  Hylacomylus  was  immediately 
adopted  by  geographers  everywhere;  the  new  land  beyond  the  Atlantic 
had,  by  a  stroke  of  a  pen,  been  christened  for  all  time  to  come. 


162 


THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 


673. 
679. 


680. 


Copy  of  September  edition  of  the  Cosmographiae  Introductio. 

Loaned  by  James  W.  Ellsworth,  of  Chicago,  Illinois. 
Copy  of  the  September  edition. 

Loaned  by  F.  Baer,  Frankfort,  Germany.     (For  sale.) 


Finitu.vrj.kKMarj 
Anno  fupra  fefqui 
millefimum.vfj. 


From  Harper's  Magazine. — Copyright. 
18»2,  by  Harper  &  Brothers. 

Copy  of  the  September  edition. 
Saint   Die   in   the   tenth   century.     The    place 
christened. 


where     America  was 


From  Harper's  Magazine.  Copyright,  1892,  by  Harper  &  Brothers. 

681.     General  view  of  the  town  of  Saint  Die,  France,  where  America  was 
christened. 

The  village  of  Saint  Die  (Urbs  Deodati)  was  founded  about  the  year 
660  A.  D.,  by  Saint  Deodate,  ex-Bishop  of  Nevers,  who  resigned  his 
bishropic  and  retired  to  a,  pleasant  valley  on   the  headwaters   of    the 


THE    CHRISTENING    OF    THE    CONTINENT. 


:63 


683. 


684. 


River  Meurthe.  Here  he  founded  a  chapel  which  he  named  "Galilee." 
The  chapel  in  time  expanded  to  a  church,  was  christened  Notre  Dame 
and  around  it  was  built  a  powerful  monastery  with  beetling  walls  and 
encircling  moat,  a  citadel  of  refuge  and  defense  for  the  followers  of  the 
cross. 

Medallion  portrait  of  King 
Rene  II,  of  Lorraine,  un- 
der   whose    patronage 
America   was   christened. 
Under    the    patronage    of 
Duke     Rene     a     society    of 
learned   and   inquiring   men 
was  constituted,  which,  about 
the    beginning    of     the   six- 
teenth century,  were  associ- 
ated at  Saint  Die  for  mutual 
inspiration     and    assistance 
under  the  title  of  "Gymnase 
Vosgien,"  or  Academy  of  the 
Vosges. 

From  Harper's  Magazine.  —Copyright,  1892,  by  Harper  &  Brothers. 

•  Portrait  of  King  Rene. 

Portrait  of  Duke  Rene,   King  of  Jerusalem  and  Sicily,  under   whose 

auspices  America  was  christened. 
^  Duke  Rene  II,  "King  of  Jerusalem  and  Sicily,"  was  a  grandson  of 
"Good  King  Rene,"  and  was  not  only  a  scholar  and  patriot  but  a  soldier 
of  shining  renown  in  an  age  when  prowess  on  the  field  was  the  one  sure 
title  to  fame.  As  the  hero  of  the  battle  of  Morat  and  the  chivalrous  con- 
queror of  Charles  the  Bold,  he  figures  conspicuously  in  the  annals  of  his 
time.  Upon  his  accession  to  the  throne  of  Lorraine  he  found  his  coun- 
try invaded  and  harassed  by  Charles  and  his  Burgundians.  After 
repeated  but  fruitless  appeals  to  the  King  of  France  for  promised  aid 
he  raised  a  force  of  Swiss  and  Germans,  and  joining  to  these  his  own 
scanty  but  patriotic  army,  he  fell  upon  and  completely  routed  the 
invaders  before  the  walls  of  Nancy,  in  the  year  1477,  and  there  is  to  be 
seen  to-day  m  the  marshes  near  the  town  a  cross  which  marks  the  spot 
where  the  body  of  Charles  was  found  among  the  debris  of  the  fight. 
Rene  gave  his  fallen  adversary  a  magnificent  burial,  and  devoted  the 
remainder  of  his  life  to  study,  the  encouragement  of  learning  and  to 
repairing  the  fortunes  of  his  war-wasted  province.  He  died  in  1508  and 
his  epitaph  tells  us  that  he  loved  but  three  things-justice,  peace  and 
letters. 


164  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

685.  Enlarged  fac-similes  of  coins  of  the  time  of  Rene  II. 

It  was  the  custom  for  learned  men  in  those  times  to  conceal  their  per- 
sonal identity  under  a  classical  pseudonym,  and  accordingly  the  young- 
graduate  at  Freiburg  assumed  a  Greco-Latinized  rendition  of  his  some- 
what archaic  family  name  and  called  himself  Martinus  Hylacomylus. 
That  is  to  say,  the  German  Wald-see-muller  (miller  of  the  lake-in-the- 
woods)  was  converted  into  a  combination  of  the  Greek  words  Hyle 
(forest)  and  mylos  (miller). 

686.  Equestrian  portrait  of  King  Rene  II  of  Lorraine,  under  whose  patron- 

age America  was  christened. 

687.  Cloister  of  the  Cathedral  at  Saint  Die. 

The  real  authors  of  the  Cosmographias  were  Martin  Waldseemuller 
and  his  learned  and  devoted  assistant  Matthias  Ringman.  Of  the  family 
and  antecedents  of  Waldseemuller  little  is  known  beyond  the  fact  that 
his  parents  lived  in  Freiburg,  where  Martin  was  born  about  1481,  and  on 
the  7th  of  December,  1490,  was  enrolled  by  Rector  Conrad  Knoll  as  a 
primary  student  in  the  university  of  that  town.  It  was  the  custom  for 
learned  men  in  those  times  to  conceal  their  personal  identity  under  a 
classical  pseudonym,  and  accordingly  the  young  graduate  at  Freiburg 
assumed  a  Greco-Latinized  version  of  his  family  name  and  called  him- 
self "Martinus  Hylacomylus."  At  what  date  he  first  went  to  Saint  Die 
can  only  be  conjectured.  It  was  apparently  in  1504  or  1505,  at  which 
time  he  was  in  his  twenty-second  or  twenty-third  year.  He  was  then  an 
accomplished  Greek  and  Latin  scholar,  a  skillful  mathematician  and 
draughtsman,  and  was  inspired  and  excited  by  the  geographical  discov- 
eries which  were  then  reconstructing  men's  ideas  of  the  physical  globe. 
The  pious  members  of  the  Vosgian  Gymnase,  whose  proposed  revision 
of  Ptolemy  was  to  be  based  on  the  original  Greek  text,  apparently 
engaged  for  the  work  of  revision  the  young  secular,  who,  being  fresh 
from  the  university  lectures,  would  possess  all  the  latest  information. 

688.  Interior  of  church  of  Notre  Dame,  Saint  Die,  France. 

The  cathedral  with  its  exquisite  Gothic  cloisters  and  pretty  outdoor 
reading  pulpit  facing  the  quadrangle,  the  petite  Eglise  archaic  in  its 
simplicity  but  pure  in  style  as  a  Grecian  temple,  encircled  by  the  citadel 
walls  of  red  sandstone  softened  and  enriched  in  color  by  the  storm  and 
sunshine  of  centuries,  all  remain  stately  and  beautiful  as  ever;  but  the 
Chapitre  is  no  longer  supreme,  and  a  modern  Protestant  church,  with  its 
neatly  slated  spire  and  cushioned  pews,  stands  near  the  center  of  the 
town,  to  mark  the  foothold  of  a  new  faith. 

689.  View  of  Saint  Die. 

In  the  Municipal  Library  of  Saint  Die  there  is  preserved  as  its  most 


THE    CHRISTENING    OF    THE    CONTINENT. 


:65 


precious  possession  a  magnificent  illuminated  volume — the  Graduel  or 
Lectern,  containing  the  plain  song  of  the  various  offices  and  ceremo- 
nials of  the  Chapitre  for  the  entire  year.  It  is  enriched  with  hundreds  of 
miniatures,  illuminated  initials,  painted  margins  and  colophons,  which 
illustrate  many  interesting  phases. of  the  history  of  Saint  Die,  as  well  as 
its  industries,  political  vicissitudes  and  the  social  conditions  which  pre- 
vailed in  that  community  during  the  period  of  the  Vosgien  Gymnase. 

690.  Portrait  of  Gautrin  Lud,  the  founder  of  Gymnase  Vosgien,  which  christ- 

ened America.    Director-general  of  the  mines  at  Saint  Die,  1494-1512. 

Gautrin  Lud,  the 
founder  and  control- 
ling spirit  of  the  Gym- 
nase, was  born  at 
Saint  Die  about  the 
year  1448.  He  came 
from  wealthy  and  dis- 
tinguished stock,  his 
mother  Jeannette 
d'Ainveau  being  a 
daughter  of  one  of  the 
noblest  families  of 
Lorraine,  and  his 
father  a  soldier  of  dis- 
tinction in  the  service 
of  the  king. 

691.  Pharmacie     Bardy, 

Saint  Die.     On  the 

site    of    the    house 

where   the  Cosmo- 

graphia  was  printed. 

The  art  of  printing  with  movable  types  was  hardly  fifty  years  old, 
printing  facilities  were  everywhere  limited,  and  in  order  to  carry  out  its 
plans  the  Gymnase  needed  a  press  and  type  of  its  own.  Here  the  wealth 
and  enterprise  of  Gautrin  Lud  came  to  the  rescue.  In  1494  that  liberal 
prelate  had  set  up  in  his  own  house  in  the  principal  street  of  Saint  Die  a 
rude  printing  machine,  with  a  font  of  large,  round-faced  type. 

692.  Town  of  Saint  Die.     View  from  the  southward. 

Modern  Saint  Die  is  a  thriving  town  of  nearly  twelve  thousand  people, 
who  are  engaged  mainly  in  weaving,  spinning,  tanning  and  various  in- 
dustries connected  with  the  manufacture  and  consumption  of  pine  lum- 
ber,  which   grows   abundantly   in   that   picturesque   region.     It    is    the 


from  Harper's  Magazine.— Copyright.  1892,  by  Harper  &  Brothers. 

Portrait  of  Gautrin  Lud. 


166 


THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 


693. 


694. 


terminus  of  a  railway  which  was  originally  laid  out  from  Luneville  to 
Markirch  in  Alsace,  but  which  stopped  abruptly  at  Saint  Die,  where  the 
events  of  1870  drew  the  new  frontier  of  Germany  across  its  path. 


House  of  Jean  Basin, 
Saint     Die,     where 
the    Cosmographiae 
Introductio,     which 
named  America, was 
translated. 
The  house  of   Jean 
Basin  was  partially  de- 
stroyed by  fire  in  1554, 
but  the  walls  and  lower 
portions  remained  in- 
tact, so  that  the  struct- 
ure  was   re-built,    or 
rather    restored,   with 
exactly   its  original 
form  and  dimensions; 
and  in  that  condition 
it    exists    to-day,    the 
most     perfectly     pre- 
served   domicile    that 
remains     from    the 
Gymnase  Vosgien. 


Coat-of-arms  of  Gautrin  Lud 
Die. 

In  his  capacity  as  director-gen- 
eral of  mines,  Lud  adopted  a  special 
coat-of-arms,  bearing  as  a  device 
the  implements  of  mining  on  a 
shield  supported  by  two  kneeling 
figures,  one  in  the  costume  of  a 
laborer,  the  other  in  that  of  master. 


From  Harper's  Magazine  — Copyright, 
Harper  &  Brothers. 


695. 


Ancient  blacksmith  shop  at  Saint  Die. 

The  Gymnase  concluded  to  publish  a  revision  of  the  geography  of 


THE    CHRISTENING    OF    THE    CONTINENT. 


:67 


Ptolemy,  and  add  as  an  appendix  the  full  text  of  Vespucius'  narrative, 
which  was  then  not  only  the  latest  and  most  complete,  but  the  only 
written  account  that  had  been  received  in  central  Europe  of  the  newly 
discovered  lands  beyond  the  sea. 

696.  Printing  the  Cosmographiae  Introductio  at  Saint  Die. 

From  an  old  print. 

697.  Matthias  Ringman,  member  of  the  Gymnase  Vosgien,  who  carried  from 

Paris  to  Saint  Die  the  letter  of  Americus  Vespucius,  which,  when  trans- 
lated, christened  the  New  World. 

Ringman  was  from  '''llffill 

all  accounts  a  man  of 
extraordinary  zeal  and 
versatility.  Of  his  fam- 
ily nothing  is  known, 
but  his  parents  must 
have  been  in  comfort- 
able circumstances  to 
afford  him  the  thor- 
ough education  he  re- 
ceived. He  was  born 
in  1482,  near  the  mon- 
astery of  Paeris,  in  the 
valley  of  the  Vosges. 
About  the  year  1500, 
when  the  discoveries 
of  Columbus,  Cabot 
and  Alonzo  de  Ojeda 
had  set  the  educated 
world  aflame,  Ring- 
man  shared  in  the 
enthusiasm  and  took 
up  a  thorough  course 
in  mathematics  and 
cosmography.  He 
studied  at  Paris  until 
1503,  when,  at  the  age 
of  twenty-one,  he  re- 
turned to  Strassburg, 
bringing  with  him  a 
copy  of  the  memorable  letter  which  Americus  Vespucius  had  written 
from  Cape  Verde  in  June,  1501,  to  his  patron  Lorenzo  de  Medici,  at 
Florence,  giving  a  somewhat  superficial  account  of  his  third  voyage  of 


From  Harper's  Magazine. — Copyright,  1892,  by  Harper  &  Brothers. 

Portrait  of  Matthias  Ringman. 


1 68 


THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 


From  Harper's  Magazine — Copy- 
right, 1892,  by  Harper  &,  Brothers. 

Jean  Basin. 


discovery.  This  letter  had  been  translated  from  Italian  into  French  and 
a  smaller  edition  published  at  Pans.  The  letter  was  a  mere  sketch,  but 
contained  so  much  that  was  new  and  interesting  that  Ringman 
translated  it  into  Latin  and  published  it  in  pamphlet  form  at  Strassburg 
in  August,  1503. 

698.  Portrait  of  Jean  Basin. 

Jean  Basin,  of  Sandaucourt,  the  second  mem- 
ber of  the  Gymnase,  was,  like  Gautrin  Lud,  a 
canon  of  the  Chapitre  of  Saint  Die,  and  a 
classical  scholar  of  unusual  attainments.  His 
leisure  hours  were  devoted  to  literature.  He 
was  wealthy  and  luxurious,  and  inhabited  a 
handsome  canonical  residence  which  stood  at 
the  northwest  corner  of  a  block  or  irregular 
group  of  buildings,  of  which  the  house  of  Gau- 
trin Lud,  with  its  printing-office,  formed  the 
southeast  or  diagonally  opposite  corner. 

699.  View  of  the  River  Meurthe  at  Saint  Die. 

700.  Citadel  of  Saint  Die,  France. 

701.  Portrait  of  Laurent  Piladius,    member  of  the 

Gymnase  Vosgien  of  Saint  Die,  France. 

702.  Exterior  of  Church  of  Notre  Dame,  Saint  Die,  France. 

703.  House  at  Saint  Die,  where  America  was  christened. 

704.  Entrance  to  monastery  at  St.  Die. 

A  copy  of  the  Strassburg  edition  of  the  Cosmographiae  Introductio 
found  its  way  in  1524  to  the  library  of  Fernando  Columbus,  son  of  the 
great  admiral,  at  Seville,  where  it  became  one  of  the  favorite  volumes 
of  that  renowned  collector  of  rare  and  interesting  books.  Fernando 
Columbus  was  an  inveterate  traveler,  and  from  his  copious  notes  writ- 
ten on  tlue  margin  and  fly-leaf  of  the  Cosmographiae,  he  would  seem  to 
have  read  it  mainly  for  the  information  that  it  gave  on  the  geogra- 
phy and  climate  of  Europe,  and  to  have  overlooked  or  ignored  the 
rank  injustice  which  it  offered  to  the  memory  of  his  father.  Fernando 
had  this  book  in  his  possession  during  the  fifteen  years  preceding  his 
death  in  1539,  and  the  fact  that  he  did  not  in  his  famous  "  History  of 
Christopher  Columbus  "  denounce  the  Cosmographiae  and  its  author,  is 
held  by  M.  Harrisse  and  other  experts  to  prove  that  the  history  attrib- 
uted to  Fernando  was  not  actually  written  by  him  or  within  his  knowl- 
edge. 

705.  Exterior  walls  of  old  monastery  at  Saint  Die. 

706.  River  Meurthe,  near  Saint  Die. 


THE    CHRISTENING    OF    THE    CONTINENT.  169 

707.  Another  view  of  house  of  Jean  Basin. 

708.  Death  of  the  Virgin,  from  the  Graduel  of  Saint  Die. 

709.  Purification  of  the  Virgin,  from  the  Graduel  of  Saint  Die. 

710.  Page  from  the  Graduel  showing  methods  of  mining  in  the  sixteenth 

century. 

711.  Portrait  of  Saint  Die,  from  the  Graduel. 

712.  Tanneries  along  the  River  Meurthe,  Saint  Die. 

713.  Photograph  of  an  old  house  in  Saint  Die. 

714.  Ancient  Roman  temple,  Saint  Die. 

715.  Statue  of  Americus  Vespucius. 

By  Grazzini,  in  the  Uffizi  Gallery,  Florence. 

716.  Portrait  of  Sebastian  Munster,  one  of  the  earliest  geographers. 

717.  Fac-simile  of  the  title  page  of  one  of  the  first  books  about  America. 


MAPS  AND  CHARTS  SHOWING  THE   PROGRESS  OF   CIVILIZA- 
TION AND  THE  GROWTH  OF  GEOGRAPHICAL  KNOWLEDGE. 

727.  Map  representing  North  America  as  a  collection  of  islands,  and  showing 

portion  of  South  America  from  Venezuela  to  Rio  Cananea,  Brazil. 
A.  D.  1500. 

728.  Map  showing  the  Antilles  and  the  mainland  from  Honduras  to  Cape 

Santa  Maria,  Uruguay. 

By  Vincent  Majolo.     A.  D.  1508. 

729.  Map  from  the  Venetian  edition  of  Ptolemy.     151 1. 

730.  Map  showing  portion  of  Florida,  West  Indies,  Yucatan,  Isthmus  of 

Panama  and  Spanish  Main.      A.  D.  1517. 

731.  Map  of  the  world.     From  1520  edition  of  Ptolemy. 

732.  Map  published  in  1532,  showing  the  West  Indies  and  a  portion  of  North 

America. 

Original  inGrynaeus  Neuvus  Orbis. 

733.  Map  showing  east  coast  of  America  from  Hudson  bay  to  Tierra  del 

Fuego.     A.  D.  1532. 

734.  Map  showing  portions  of  east  and  west  coasts  of  America,  Straits  of 

Magellan,  the  Pacific  Ocean  and  a  portion  of  the  south  coast  of  Asia. 
A.  D.  1532. 

735.  Map  of  the  New  World,  drawn  by  the  pilot  Maiesta  Cesarea,  1534. 

Original  in  Lenox  library,  New  York. 


170  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

736.  Map  of  the  world.     From  1538  edition  of  Ptolemy. 

Original  in  the  possession  of  J.  C.  Brevoort. 

737.  Map  showing  Iceland,  Greenland  and  Labrador.     A.  D.  1542. 

738.  Map  of  America.     From  the  Cosmographiae  of  Petri  Apiani,  1545. 

739.  Map  of  the  world.     From  Ptolemy's  Geographiae.    Venice  edition,  1548. 

740.  Map  of  Mexico  and  Central  America.     From  1548  edition  of  Ptolemy's 

geography. 

741.  Map  of  South  America.     From  1548  edition  of  Ptolemy's  geography. 

742.  Map  of  the  world.     From  Munster's  Cosmographiae  Universales,  Basle, 

1554. 

743.  Map   of  the   American  hemisphere.      From  Munster's   Cosmographiae 

Universales,  Basle,  1554. 

744.  Map    of  California   and   west    coast   of   Mexico.       By   Yaz    Dourado. 

A.  D.  1571. 

745.  Map  of  South  America  from  Isthmus  of  Panama  to  thirty  degrees  south 

latitude.     By  Yaz  Dourado.     A.  D.  1571. 

746.  Map  of  South  America  from  thirty  degrees  south  latitude  to  Tierra  del 

Fuego.     By  Vaz  Dourado.     A.  D.  1571. 

747.  Map  of  Atlantic  coast  of  North  America  from  eighty  degrees  north  lati- 

tude to  New  Brunswick.    By  Yaz  Dourado,  1571 . 

748.  Map  of  Atlantic  coast  of  America  from  New  Brunswick  to  the  Amazon 

river.     By  Yaz  Dourado,  1571. 

749.  Map  of  Atlantic  coast  of  North  America  from  forty-eight  degrees  north 

latitude  to  Yucatan.     By  Thomas  Hood.    A.  D.  1592. 

750.  Map  of  the  western  hemisphere.     From  De  Bry's  Yoyages,  1595. 

751.  Map  of  the  West  Indies,  Florida  and  northern  part  of  South  America. 

From  De  Bry's  Voyages,  1595. 

752.  Map  of  the  earth.     From  De  Bry's  Voyages,  1595. 

753.  Map  of  Virginia  by  Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  1585. 

From  De  Bry's  Voyages,  1595. 

754.  Map  of  Virginia,  1595.     From  De  Bry's  Voyages. 

It  was  in  1584  that  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  obtained  a  charter  for  the  col- 
onization of  Virginia,  and  the  next  year  sent  out  some  colonists  (who 
were  rescued  and  returned  by  Sir  Francis  Drake),  and  in  1587  another 
which  was  never  heard  from  afterward. 

755.  Map  of  the  Orinoco   and   Amazon   rivers,    showing  the   discoveries  of 

Sir  Walter  Raleigh.      From  a  Dutch  geography,  1595. 

Raleigh's  first  voyage  to  the  mouth  of  the  Orinoco  was  in  the  year  1595, 


THE    CHRISTENING    OF    THE    CONTINENT.  I7I 

with  five  ships,  although  he  had  sent  out  an  expedition  to  reconnoitre 
the  year  previous.  He  ascended  the  river  to  the  gold  region,  but 
returned  to  England  without  result,  again  making  a  voyage  in  1516, 
without  finding  gold. 

756.  Map  of  America.     From  Description  of  America  by  Henrici  Seile,  1652. 

757.  Map  of  Virginia.     From  Ogilby's  History  of  America,  1671. 

The  author  of  this  work  was  born  in  Edinburgh,  Scotland,  in  the  year 
1600,  and  died  in  London,  1676.  In  1671  he  published  nine  volumes  of  a 
very  curious  and  valuable  "  Geography  of  the  World,"  one  specially 
descriptive  of  America. 

758.  Map  of  the  Chesapeake  Bay.    From  Ogilby's  History  of  America,  1671. 

759.  Map  of  the  Atlantic  coast  states,  1673. 

760.  Map  of  Virginia,  1673. 

761.  Map  of  North  America,  1694.     Made  for  the  Duke  of  Burgundy. 

763.  Ancient  Dutch  map  showing  Greenland   and   eastern  shore  of  the  New- 

World.     Two  parts. 

764.  Illuminated  Spanish  missal   of  the   fifteenth   century.     From  a  monas- 

tery in  the  interior  of  Peru.     Loaned  by  William  E.  Curtis. 

765.  Illuminated  Spanish  missal.      From  a  monastery  in  the  interior  of  Peru. 

766.  Map  of  the  World.     Made  by  order  of  King  Henry  II  of  France,  1546. 

767.  Map  of  the  World  of  the  sixteenth  century.     Made  by  Sebastian  Cabot, 

Chief  Pilot  for  Charles  V,  first  part  of  the  sixteenth  century. 

768.  Map  of  the  World  of  the  fourteenth  century.     By  the  brothers  Psigani. 

769.  Map  of  the  World  of  the  thirteenth  century.      Original  in  Cathedral  at 

Hereford,  England.     Made  by  a  Monk  of  Lincoln,  in  1300. 

770.  Map  of  the  World.     By  Gerard  Mercator,  Duisbourg,  1569. 


172  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 


SECTION    N.    CONQUEST    OF    MEXICO     AND     PERU    AND    THE 
SETTLEMENT  OF  OTHER  PORTIONS  OF  AMERICA. 


801.  Montezuma,  Emperor  of  Mexico. 

From  Montanus. 

Montezuma,  the  last  of  the  Aztec  emperors,  was  born  about  1480,  suc- 
ceeded his  uncle,  Amitzotl,  in  1502,  and  was  killed  June  30,  1480.  He 
was  both  a  soldier  and  a  priest.      On  the  arrival  of  Cortez  in  Mexico,  in 

1519,  he  at  first  forbade  the  white  men  to  approach  his  capital,  but  after- 
ward sent  an  embassy  to  welcome  them.  He  received  Cortez  with 
courtesy,  but  a  collision  between  the  Mexicans  and  Spaniards  took 
place,  and  Cortez  took  advantage  of  it  and  seized  Montezuma.  Monte- 
zuma was  for  awhile  put  in  irons  and  completely  humiliated.      In   June, 

1520,  an  insurrection  arising,  the  people  besieged  the  Spaniards,  an<d 
Cortez  induced  Montezuma  to  address  his  subjects  from  the  battlements 
of  his  prison;  but  his  appeals  in  behalf  of  the  white  men  exasperated  the 
Mexicans,  who  discharged  a  shower  of  missiles  at  him,  and  he  fell 
senseless,  struck  in  the  temple  by  a  stone.  He  refused  all  remedies  and 
nourishment,  tore  off  the  bandages,  and  died  in  a  few  days. 

802.  Portrait  of  Hernando  Cortez,  Conqueror  of  Mexico. 

Loaned  by  the  Spanish  government.  (In  the  chapel.) 
Cortez,  the  conquerer  of  Mexico,  was  born  at  Medellin,  Spain,  in  the  year 
1485,  sent  to  the  University  of  Salamanca,  but  returned  1501  to  his  home, 
preferring  a  life  of  adventure,  and  went  to  Santo  Domingo  in  1504, 
where  he  gained  the  favor  of  the  governor,  Ovando,  and  received  reparti- 
mientos  of  Indians.  In  1511  he  accompanied  Diego  Velasquez  to  Cuba, 
where  he  became  alcade  of  St.  Jago,  and  in  1518  was  appointed  to  the 
command  of  the  expedition  fitted  out -by  Velasquez  for  the  exploration  of 
Mexico.  He  landed  on  the  coast  of  Mexico  in  March,  1519,  finally 
reaching  the  site  of  the  present  Vera  Cruz,  where  he  burned  his  ships 
and  prepared  to  march  into  the  interior,  having  resolved  to  conquer  the 
kingdom  of  Montezuma,  of  whose  power  and  riches  he  heard  glowing 
reports.  With  an  insignificant  army,  but  which  had  an  advantage  over 
the  natives  in  possessing  firearms  and  defensive  armor,  he  advanced 
through  hostile  territory  to  the  valley  of  Mexico,  where  he  first  saw  the 
opulent  "city  of  the  Aztecs  and  was  received  with  pomp  by  Montezuma. 
Fortifying  himself  in  one  of  the  palaces  of  the  city,  he  finally  secured 
the  person  of  Montezuma,  and  eventually  brought  about  his  death  during 


THE    CONQUEST    OF    MEXICO    AND    PERU.  173 

an  insurrection,  in  which  the  Spaniards  were  driven  from  the  city,  losing 
the  flower  of  their  army.  But  on  the  plain  of  Otumba  Cortez  gains  a 
victory  and  saved  his  troops  from  annihilation,  forming  a  junction  with 
the  Tlascalans,  enemies  of  the  Aztecs,  with  the  assistance  of  whom  he 
returned  to  the  siege  of  the  city  of  Mexico,  which,  after  a  desperate 
defense  of  several  months,  was  taken  with  great  slaughter  of  its  mhab- 
itants  in  August,  1521.  Charles  V  appointed  him  governor-general  of 
Mexico  and  marquis  of  Oaxaca,  and  his  conquest  of  the  country  became 
complete.  In  1536  he  discovered  the  peninsula  of  California,  and  in  1541 
he  went  with  Charles  V  to  Algiers,  where  he  served  in  that  disastrous 
expedition;  but  this  was  his  last  appearance  in  battle.  He  died  in  com- 
parative poverty  in  1554,  near  Seville. 

803.  Fac-simile  of  the  sword  of  Cortez. 

Original  in  the  Royal  Armory,  Madrid. 

804.  Hernando  Cortez  before  Montezuma. 

Cortez  endeavored  to  persuade  Montezuma  to  take  up  his  residence 
in  the  Spanish  quarters,  and  the  King  fearing  that  he  would  be  detained 
as  a  prisoner,  declined.  Marina,  the  Indian  mistress  and  interpreter  of 
Cortez,  besought  him  to  do  so,  but  after  two  hours'  discussion  Velasquez 
de  Leon,  impatient  of  delay,  drew  his  sword  and  cried  out:  "Why  do 
we  waste  words  on  this  barbarian.  We  have  gone  too  far  to  recede 
now.  Let  us  seize  him,  and  if  he  resists  plunge  our  swords  into  his 
body."     (Prescott's  Conquest  of  Mexico,  Vol.  II,  pages  158-162.) 

805.  Aztec  calendar  stone,  city  of  Mexico. 

This  great  work  illustrates  not  only  the  advancement  of  the  Aztecs  in 
the  art  of  sculpture,  but  shows  their  system  of  calculating  the  recur- 
rence of  their  cycles,  the  solstices,  etc.  It  is  claimed  by  some  investiga- 
tors that  this  stone  was  a  perpetual  calendar,  but  by  others  that  it  was 
solely  intended  to  commemorate  the  feast  days  and  to  preserve  in  the 
memory  of  man  the  years  of  the  cycles  that  had  passed  at  the  time  the 
stone  was  engraved.  It  is  recorded  that  it  was  hewn  from  a  block  of 
basalt  in  the  year  1479,  during  the  reign  of  Axaycatl.  Its  face  is  eleven 
feet  eight  inches  across,  and  the  whole  mass  is  said  to  weigh  twenty-six 
tons. 

806.  The  Aztec  sacrifice. 

From  an  old  painting. 

In  ancient  Mexico  when  a  brave  enemy  was  taken  captive  he  was 
tied  to  the  center  of  a  large  circular  stone  by  one  foot,  armed  with  a 
sword  of  wood,  and  forced  to  fight  against  a  number  of  adversaries 
armed  with  weapons  of  obsidian  as  sharp  as  steel.  If  vanquished  he  was 
dragged  to  the  "Techcatl,"  or  stone  of  sacrifice,  the  upper  face  of  which 


174  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

was  convex  to  such  a  degree  that  when  the  victim  ]ay  stretched  out  upon 
it  his  chest  protruded.  When  he  was  secured  in  place  the  executioner 
plunged  his  knife  of  obsidian  into  the  chest  of  the  victim,  and  thrusting 
in  his  hand  tore  out  the  heart,  which,  after  holding  it  up  to  the  sun,  he 
threw  to  the  image  of  the  divinity  to  whom  the  temple  was  dedicated, 
while  the  multitude  knelt  at  the  foot  of  the  stone  pyramid  ready  to  re- 
ceive the  body,  which  was  thrown  to  them  by  the  priests.  This  they 
divided  among  themselves  and  devoured. 

807.  The  Aztec  idol  Teoyaomiqui. 

Original  in  the  National  Museum,  Mexico. 

The  most  celebrated  of  the  Aztec  antiquities  is  the  war  god  Huitzili- 
pochtli,  sometimes  also  called  Teoyamiqui,  or  the  Goddess  of  Death. 
At  all  events  rivers  of  blood  have  flowed  before  it  and  thousands  have 
perished  in  its  presence;  for  according  to  historians  the  hearts  of 
human  victims  were  kept  smoking  on  its  altar  night  and  day.  It  was 
found  buried  in  the  great  square  of  the  city  of  Mexico  in  1790,  and  was 
again  buried  for  fear  it  might  tempt  the  Indians  to  their  ancient  wor- 
ship. It  was  re-exhumed  in  1821  and  is  now  in  the  National  Museum  of 
Mexico. 

808.  Great  idol  of  the  Aztecs. 

The  Aztecs  worshiped  a  supreme  being  whom  they  called  Teotl. 
Tlacatecolotl  was  the  enemy  of  man;  the  Aztec  Minerva,  the  most  pow- 
erful of  their  deities  to  whom  they  gave  external  form,  was  Tezcatlipoca, 
or  the  shining  mirror;  Mextli,  or  HuitzilopoctH,  was  the  Mexican  Mars; 
Cihuacohuatl,  the  woman  serpent,  was  the  first  woman  in  the  world  to 
have  children,  and  she  always  had  twins;  Tlaloc,  the  God  of  Thunder, 
dwelt  in  the  crater  of  Popocatapetl,  and  so  on.  Besides  these  great 
deities  there  were  also  many  minor  gods  known  as  the  Tepitoton,  of 
which  the  Aztecs  kept  images  in  their  houses. 

809.  Original  letter  from  Hernando  Cortez,  Conqueror  of  Mexico,  to  Charles 

V,  Emperor  of  Spain,  concerning  affairs  in  Mexico. 

Loaned  by  C.  F.  Gunther,  Chicago,  111. 

Cortez,  like  Cassar,  wrote  an  account  of  his  own  battles,  and  no  sooner 
had  the  city  of  Mexico  been  taken  than  he  retired  to  the  suburb  of 
Coyooacan  and  indited  a  letter  to  his  sovereign,  giving  a  temperate  and 
clear  recital  of  his  doings.  These  "Cartas  de  Cortez  '  are  valuable  con- 
tributions to  the  literature  of  the  Conquest,  and  are  five  in  number. 

810.  Autograph  of  Hernando  Cortez,  Conqueror  of  Mexico,  written  in  1541. 

In  Seville,  in  the  great  building  containing  the  archives  of  the  Indies, 
are  the  autographs  of  nearly  all  the  early  voyagers  and  conquistadores, 
including  those  of  Cortez,  Pizarro,  Magellan,  etc.,  and  valuable  papers 


THE    CONQUEST    OF    MEXICO    AND    PERU.  175 

pertaining  to  the   Conquest  of  the   New  World,  that  have  never  been 
exploited. 

811.  Map  of  the  city  of  Mexico,  sent  by  Cortez  to  Charles  V. 

812.  Chart  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  sent  by  Cortez  to  Charles  V,  in  1520. 


THE  CONQUEST  OF  PERU. 

4x4.     Portrait  of  Francisco  Pizarro. 

Francisco  Pizarro,  the  subjugator  of  Peru,  was  born  at  Truxillo  in 
Spain  about  1471,  an  illegitimate  child.  His  occupation  in  early  life  was 
mat  of  a  swine-herd;  he  received  no  education,  and  could  not  read  or 
write  even  in  later  life.  He  went  to  Seville  and  sailed  for  America  in 
1510,  landing  at  Hispaniola,  and  thence  going  with  Ojeda  to  Uraba,  af  ter- 
wara  marcnfng  with  Balboa  across  the  Isthmus  of  Darien,  and  sharing 
the  honor  of  oeing  among  the  first  Europeans  to  look  upon  the  Pacific. 
In  1515  he  went  across  the  isthmus  to  trade  with  the  Indians,  and 
established  himself  near  Panama,  and  in  1524  sailed  southward  but  was 
compelled  to  return.  He  sailed  for  Spain  in  1528  and  obtained  from  King 
Charles  V  permission  to  explore,  and  the  title  of  adelantado  and 
captain  general  of  the  province  of  Peru — which  he  intended  to  try  to 
conquer.  He  returned  to  Panama  in  1530  and  the  next  year  sailed  south- 
ward, bent  on  conquest,  with  three  vessels,  twenty-seven  horses  and  one 
hundred  and  eighty  men.  Landing  on  the  coast  of  Peru,  Pizarro  found 
the  kingdom  divided  and  that  Atahualpa,  one  of  the  brothers  to  whom 
it  had  been  left  by  their  father,  Huayna  Capac,  had  defeated  and 
imprisoned  his  brother  and  was  then  encamped  at  Cajamarca.  March- 
ing to  meet  him,  Pizarro  was  received  with  friendliness,  but  he  treach- 
erously made  Atahualpa  prisoner,  confining  him  until  he  had  raised  a 
ransom  of  above  $17,000,000,  and  then  put  him  to  death.  This  was  in 
August,  1533,  and  in  November  the  Spaniards  entered  the  Peruvian 
capital,  Cuzco.  In  1535  the  city  of  Lima  was  founded.  Constant  attacks 
and  insurrections  of  the  Indians  kept  the  country  in  perpetual  warfare, 
and  in  1538  the  Spaniards  fought  among  themselves,  Pizarro  defeating 
and  executing  his  old  comrade,  Almargo,  In  1540  a  royal  judge  was 
sent  out  to  inquire  into  Pizarro's  conduct,  but  before  he  reached  Lima 
the  conqueror  had  been  assassinated  (June  26,  1541)  at  the  instigation  of 
a  son  of  Almargo. 

815.     Pizarro  relating  his  adventures  to  Charles  V. 

Having  heard  the  stories  of  the  great  and  rich  empire  of  Peru  from  the 
Indians  of  Darien,  PizanD  returned  to  Spain  in  1528  and  had  interviews 
with  King  Charles  V,  whom  he  so  moved  by  his  tales  of  adventure  and 


176     "*"  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

promises  of  prospective  wealth  that  the  emperor  gave  orders  for  an 
expedition  to  be  fitted  out,  and  invested  Pizarro  with  titles  fitting  to  the 
station  he  might  occupy  after  the  conquest  was  consummated.  He  was 
inflenced  by  the  gold  that  Pizarro  exhibited,  the  llamas  he  had  brought 
with  him  to  Spain,  and  the  reported  abundance  of  the  precious  metals. 
A  capitulation  was  signed  in  July,  1529,  defining  the  powers  and  privi- 
leges of  Pizarro,  and  his  expedition  started  in  January,  1530,  on  the  voy- 
age that  ended  in  the  conquest  of  Peru. 

816.  Atahualpa,  the  last  of  the  Incas. 

When  Pizarro  entered  Peru  he  found  that  the  kingdom  was  divided 
between  the  princes  Atahualpa  and  Huascar,  the  latter  then  a  prisoner 
to  the  former  and  striving  for  the  power.  Atahualpa  opened  negotia- 
tions with  Pizarro,  and  to  this  end  marched  to  meet  him  with  a  vast 
army,  but  was  drawn  into  the  city  where  the  Spanish  troops  were 
quartered,  leaving  the  bulk  of  his'  army  outside.  He  was  then  taken 
prisoner,  his  attendants  being  basely  massacred.  As  a  ransom  the  Inca 
offered  to  fill  the  room  in  which  he  was  confined  with  gold  as  high  as  he 
could  reach,  a  line  nine  feet  above  the  floor,  and  the  space  he  agreed  tG 
fill  v/as  twenty-two  feet  long  by  seventeen  broad,  and  nine  feet  high. 
His  offer  was  accepted,  and  messengers  were  dispatched  all  over  the 
kingdom  to  collect  the  golden  treasure.  The  gold  alone  is  sa'd  to  have 
amounted  to  over  $15,000,000,  besides  a  great  amount  of  silver.  Not- 
withstanding, the  Inca  was  condemned  to  be  executed  and  was  garroted 
August  29,  1533. 

817.  Early  pictures  of  America  from  De  Bry's  Voyages,  1595.     First  meet- 

ing between  Pizarro  and  Atahualpa. 

"Elevated  high  above  his  vassals  came  the  Inca  Atahualpa,  borne  on 
a  sedan  or  open  litter,  on  which  was  a  sort  of  throne  made  of  massive 
gold  of  inestimable  value.  The  palanquin  was  lined  with  the  richly 
colored  plumes  of  tropical  birds  and  studded  with  shining  plates  of  gold 
and  silver.  The  monarch's  attire  was  very  rich;  round  his  neck  was 
suspended  a  collar  of  emeralds  of  uncommon  size  and  brilliancy.  His 
short  hair  was  decorated  with  golden  ornaments,  and  the  imperial  borla 
encircled  his  temples.  The  bearing  of  the  Inca  was  sedate  and  dignified. 
From  his  lofty  station  he  looked  down  on  the  multitudes  below  with  an 
air  of  composure,  like  one  accustomed  to  command."     (Prescott.) 

818.  The  arrest  of  Atahualpa. 

From  an  old  print. 

As  Atahualpa  entered  the  square  where  the  Spaniards  were  quartered, 
Pizarro's  chaplain  advanced  to  meet  him  and  at  once  attempted  to  ex- 
pound to  him  the  tenets  of  the  Christian  faith,  ending  with  a  demand 


THE    CONQUEST   OF    MEXICO   AND    PERU.  177 

that  the  Inca  adjure  his  own  gods  and  embrace  the  religion  of  the  in- 
vaders. The  Inca,  of  course,  understood  little  of  what  the  priest  had 
said,  and  moreover  was  indignant  that  a  common  mortal  should  address 
him  so  familiarly,  and  spurned  both  the  priest  and  his  doctrine.  At  this 
the  holy  man  was  enraged,  and  gave  Pizarro  the  order  to  set  upon  the 
Indians  at  once,  which  the  soldier  did,  giving  the  signal  for  a  horrible 
massacre  in  which  thousands  of  the  Inca's  subjects  were  murdered. 

819.  Early  pictures  of  America  from  De  Bry's  Voyages,  1595.     Indians  of 

Peru  bring  the  ransom  of  Atahualpa. 

From  his  place  of  confinement  the  Inca  sent  orders  to  his  subjects  to 
bring  in  the  accumulated  objects  in  gold  and  silver  in  the  temples  and 
palaces,  and  for  two  months  or  more  they  were  on  the  road,  bringing  in 
such  vast  and  beautiful  treasures  that  the  greedy  Spaniards  were 
astonished.  There  were  goblets,  salvers,  ewers,  vases,  ornaments  for 
the  temples,  and  tiles  and  plates  for  tfie  decoration  of  the  public  build- 
ings, of  great  beauty  of  design  and  delicacy  of  workmanship — in  all  to 
the  value  of  over  815,000,000. 

820.  Early  pictures  of  America  from  De   Bry's  Voyages,  1595.     Murder  of 

Atahualpa  by  strangling. 

Having  secured  the  immense  ransom  from  the  subjects  of  the  Inca, 
Pizarro  should  have  released  him,  but  policy  dictated  that  he  be  either 
killed  or  kept  a  prisoner  It  was  considered  too  dangerous  to  set  at 
liberty  one  possessed  of  such  absolute  power  over  his  people  while  the 
Spanish  army  was  so  small,  and  after  a  council  it  was  decided  to  dis- 
pose of  him  by  burning.  He  was,  however,  garroted  instead  on  the  condi- 
tion that  he  receive  baptism,  and  died  thus  on  the  29th  of  August,  1533. 

821.  Don  Juan   Marcelo   Chiquanthopa,  descendant  of  the   Incas  of  Peru, 

governor  of  San  Geronimo,  1684. 

822.  Early  pictures   of  America  from   De    Bry's   Voyages,  1595.     City   of 

Cuzco,  Peru,  the  capital  of  the  Incas. 

Situated  in  a  province  of  the  same  name,  eleven  thousand  feet  above 

the  sea.    According  to  the  traditions  of  the  Incas,  Cuzco  was  their  most 

ancient   capital,  and   was   founded  by  Manco  Capac    in   the  eleventh 

century.     Its  name  signified  "  Navel  of  the  Earth,"   thereby   meaning 

that  it  was  the  center  of  the  world,  and  it  was  the  holy  city  of  the  ancient 

Peruvians,  containing  a  glorious  temple  of  the  sun,  richly  ornamented  , 

with  gold  and  silver,  besides  above  three  hundred  smaller  temples,  and 

it  was  the  mecca  of  pious  pilgrims  from  all  parts  of  Peru.     Pizarro  took 

and  sacked  it,  1533,  and  little  remains  to  recall  the  glorious  capital  of  the 

Incas,  except  fragments  of  massive  walls. 
12 


I78  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

823.  Early  pictures  of  America  from  De  Bry's  Voyages,  1595.     Atahualpa, 

the  Inca  of  Peru,  with  his  army  at  the  gates  of  Cuzco. 

Atahualpa,  who  overthrew  his  brother  and  took  him  prisoner,  took 
possession  of  Cuzco  in  the  year  1532,  but  did  not  retain  it,  as  the  year 
following  it  was  captured  by  Pizarro.  Its  population  at  that  time  was 
said  to  be  above  two  hundred  thousand. 

824.  Early  pictures  of  America  from  De  Bry's  Voyages,  1595.     Conference 

between  Pizarro  and  his  comrades. 

825.  Indians  bringing  presents  to  Pizarro.     From  De  Bry's  Voyages,  1595. 

826.  Early  pictures  of  America  from  De  Bry.     Scene  of  Pizarro' s  assassina- 

tion, Lima,  Peru. 

It  was  on  the  26th  of  June,  1541,  that  the  end  came  to  the  conquerer  of 
Peru,  at  the  instigation  of  the  son  of  Almargo,  his  old  companion-at- 
arms,  whom  he  had  executed  in  '38.  The  friends  of  the  Almargo  family 
formed  themselves  into  a  band  for  vengeance  and  rushed  to  the  gov- 
ernor's palace  with  the  cry  "Long  live  the  King;  death  to  the  tyrant!" 
Pizarro  was  at  dinner  with  a  few  friends,  and  wholly  unprepared  for 
attack,  but  he  hastily  attempted  to  buckle  on  his  armor,  while  two  or 
three  devoted  adherents  tried  to  hold  the  assassins  at  bay,  and  then 
defended  himself  with  all  his  old-time  courage  and  skill,  killing  several 
of  them  before  he  finally  fell,  pierced  with  sword  wounds  and  bathed  in 
his  own  blood.  The  mangled  corpses  of  Pizarro  and  his  slain  com- 
panions were  left  where  they  had  fallen,  while  the  conspirators  returned 
to  the  streets  and  proclaimed  the  son  of  Almargo  successor  to  the  gov- 
ernor. The  remains  were  secretly  buried  by  some  of  his  menials,  but  a 
few  years  later,  when  tranquility  was  restored  to  the  country,  they  were 
placed  in  a  sumptuous  coffin  and  deposited  in  a  conspicuous  part  of  the 
Cathedral.  In  1607,  when  time  had  thrown  its  friendly  mantle  over 
the  past  and  the  memory  of  his  errors  and  his  crimes  was  merged  in  the 
consideration  of  the  great  services  he  had  rendered  to  the  Crown  by  the 
extension  of  its  colonial  empire,  his  bones  were  removed  to  the  new 
Cathedral  and  allowed  to  repose  by  the  side  of  those  of  Mendoza,  the 
wise  and  good  viceroy. 

827.  Fac-simile  of  the  signature  of  Pizarro. 

Pizarro  could  neither  read  nor  write.  This  is  a  well  attested  fact.  It 
is  said  that  he  tried  to  learn  to  read  on  his  first  voyage,  but  his  impatient 
temper  prevented.  He  learned  to  sign  his  name,  and  this  was  all. 
Some  of  his  contemporaries  deny  that  he  could  even  do  that,  and  assert 
that  his  secretary  wrote  his  signature  and  Pizarro  painfully  inscribed  the 
rubrica  or  ornamental  flourish,  customary  for  all  cavaliers  to  make  in 
those  days.     In  the  Lonja,  or  building  containing  papers  pertaining  to 


THE    CONQUEST    OF    MEXICO    AND    PERU.  179 

the  Indies,  in  Seville,  is  a  "signature"  of  Pizarro — merely  a  cross  with 
accompanying  rubrica. 

829.  Fac-simile  of  the  standar    of  Pizarro. 

After  the  execution  of  Atahualpa,  the  last  of  the  Incas,  at  Caxamarca, 
Peru,  Pizarro  marched  to  Cuzco  and  made  his  triumphal  entry  into  the 
capital  of  the  empire,  November  16,  1533.  The  standard  carried  on  this 
occasion  was  in  the  form  of  a  gonfalon.  On  one  of  its  sides,  of  red 
damask,  was  worked  the  arms  of  Charles  V,  and  on  the  other,  which 
was  of  yellow  damask,  was  painted  the  Apostle  James  in  an  attitude 
of  combat  upon  a  white  horse,  with  shield,  curass  and  helmet  with 
plumes.  A  red  cross  glittered  on  his  breast,  and  a  sword  in  his  right 
hand.  The  banner  was  deposited  in  the  Temple  of  the  Sun,  which 
was  converted  into  a  Christian  cathedral.  There  it  was  found  by  Gen- 
eral Sucre,  the  leader  of  the  revolution  in  1824,  who,  in  a  letter  dated 
at  Cuzco,  December  30th,  of  that  year,  sent  it  to  General  Simon  Bolivar  at 
Bogota,  as  a  trophy,  saying:  ■"  I  have  the  honor  of  presenting  to  Your 
Excellency  the  royal  standard  of  Castile,  with  which  the  Spaniards 
entered  this  rich  country  three  hundred  years  ago."  General  Bolivar 
presented  this  relic  to  the  municipality  of  Caracas,  Venezuela,  his  native 
place,  and  the  original  still  remains  in  the  council  chamber  of  that  city. 
One  of  the  corners,  however,  was  cut  off  and  presented  to  Lord  Canning, 
under  whose  ministry  in  1822  Great  Britain  recognized  the  South  Ameri- 
can republics. 

830.  The  Indians  of  Peru,  tortured  by  the  Spaniards  to  obtain  the  secret  of 

the  buried  gold.    From  De  Bry's  Voyages. 


CONQUEST     AND     SETTLEMENT     OF     OTHER     PORTIONS     OF 

AMERICA. 

849.     Vasco  Nunez  Balboa. 

Vasco  Nunez  de  Balboa  was  born  at  Xeres,  Spain,  1475,  went  to  the 
New  World  in  1501  and  settled  in  Hispaniola,  and  later  to  Darien. 
Hearing  that  he  had  been  condemned  by  the  King  and  ordered  to  return 
to  Spain,  he  resolved  upon  some  great  enterprise  that  would  conciliate 
his  sovereign,  and  sailed  with  one  hundred  and  ninety  men,  landing  at 
Coyba,  whence  he  attempted  to  traverse  the  Isthmus  of  Darien.  On 
September  26th,  he  reached  the  summit  of  a  mountain  range,  and  before 
him  lay  the  glorious  expanse  of  the  Pacific — the  great  southern  sea. 
Balboa  was  the  first  to  look  upon  it,  and  the  date  of  this  achievement 
was  September  26,  1513.  He  reaped  the  usual  reward  of  the  brave 
explorers  of  those  days,  and  was  beheaded  in  1517. 

841.     Discovery  of  the  Pacific  ocean  by  Vasco  Nunez  de  Balboa. 

One  of  the  most  romantic  of  the  events  of  the  years  of  discovery  was 


l80  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

the  discovery  of  the  Pacific  by  Vasco  Nunez  de  Balboa  in  the  year  1513. 
It  has  been  celebrated  in  song  and  story,  and  every  one  is  familiar  with 
that  lone  figure  for  the  first  time  gazing  upon  the  great  southern  sea— 
"  Silent,  upon  a  peak  of  Darien." 
After  his  first  glimpse  of  the  Pacific,  Balboa  descended  the  western 
side  of  the  mountain  with  infinite  toil  and  took  possession  of  the  sea  in 
the  name  of  the  King  of  Spain.  He  afterward  undertook  the  explor- 
ation of  the  sea,  building  boats  for  that  purpose,  and  would  have 
probably  anticipated  the  conquest  of  Peru  by  Pizarro  had  not  jealousy 
prevented.  His  superior,  Pedrarias,  recalled  him  and  had  him  beheaded 
in  the  public  square  of  Acla  in  the  year  1517. 

842.  Fernando  Magellan,  the  first  mariner  to  sail  around  the  world,  and  the 

discoverer  of  the  straits  that  bear  his  name. 

Fernando  Magellan  was  born  about  1470,  at  or  near  Villa  de  Sabroza 
in  Portugal.  He  made  several  trips  to  the  East  Indies,  and  later  was 
sent  to  Morocco,  where  he  was  wounded.  Being  refused  an  increase  of 
pay,  to  which  he  considered  himself  entitled,  he  renounced  his  nationality 
and  offered  his  services  to  the  King  of  Spain.  On  August  10,  1519,  he 
sailed  in  command  of  an  expedition  in  search  of  a  western  route  to  the 
Spice  Islands.  He  passed  through  the  straits  that  now  bear  his  name, 
November,  1520,  but  did  not  live  to  return  to  Spain,  being  killed  in 
April,  1521,  in  a  fight  with  the  natives  of  Zeba,  in  the  Philippine  Islands. 

843.  Vision  of  Magellan.    Early  pictures  of  America  from  De  Bry's  Voyages,- 

1595. 

844.  The  fleet  of  Magellan. 

The  fleet  of  Magellan  consisted  of  five  vessels  of  from  sixty  to  one 
hundred  and  thirty  tons,  manned  by  two  hundred  and  thirty-six  sailors, 
and  sailed  from  San  Lucar,  Spain,  September  20,  1519.  He  made  the 
coast  of  Brazil,  January,  1520,  and  the  straits  that  bear  his  name  as  dis- 
coverer in  November,  thence  sailing  into  the  Pacific,  and  finally  meeting 
his  death  at  an  island  of  the  Philippines,  April  27,  1521.  The  only 
remnant  remaining  of  the  expedition,  a  single  ship  and  eighteen  men, 
reached  Spain  again  September  6,  1522,  and  this  ship,  the  "  Yitorio," 
was  the  first  to  make  the  circuit  of  the  globe. 

845.  Portrait  of  John  Cabot. 

John  Cabot  was  a  Genoese  by  birth,  but  a  naturalized  citizen  of  the 
republic  of  Venice.  He  removed  to  England,  entered  the  service  of 
the  government,  and  with  his  three  sons,  Luis,  Sebastian  and  Santo,  dis- 
covered Newfoundland  in  1494.  He  sailed  three  hundred  leagues  along 
the  coast  southward  and  planted  the  standard  of  his  king  in  New  Eng- 
land. 


THE    CONQUEST    OF    MEXICO    AND    PERU.  181 

846.  Sebastian  Cabot,  the  discoverer  of  North  America. 

Sebastian  Cabot,  the  renowned  navigator  and  contemporary  of  Colum- 
bus, was  the  son  of  John  Cabot,  a  Venetian  merchant,  and  was  born  at 
Bristol,  England,  about  1476.  Henry  VII  granted  the  first  patent  to 
"John  Gabote,  citizen  of  Venice;  to  Lewis,  Sebastian,  Santus,  sonnes  of 
said  John;"  and  in  the  year  1497,  John  Cabot  and  his  son,  Sebastian  dis- 
covered that  country  which  no  one  before  his  time  had  ventured  to  ap- 
proach, on  the  24th  of  June.  He  called  the  land  Terra  Primum  Visa, 
supposed  to  have  been  the  coast  of  Nova  Scotia  or  Cape  Breton  Island. 
Supposed  to  have  died  in  London  in  1557. 

847.  Sebastian  Cabot  on  the  deck  of  his  ship. 

From  an  old  print. 
849.     Sir  Walter  Raleigh. 

Born  in  the  year  1552,  at  the  middle  of  that  century  so  renowned  for 
its  maritime  discoveries.  Raleigh  early  imbibed  the  love  for  adventure 
so  prevalent,  and  turned  his  attention  from  the  petty  offices  with  which 
Elizabeth  had  rewarded  his  services  to  greater  fields  abroad.  In  1583 
he  invested  two  thousand  pounds  in  the  ill-fated  expedition  of  Sir  Humph- 
rey Gilbert,  the  next  year  obtaining  a  charter  for  colonization,  sending 
Amadas  and  Barlow  to  explore  the  new  country  which  he  named  Vir- 
ginia. In  1585  he  sent  thither  a  fleet  full  of  colonists,  and  another  in 
1587;  but  the  first  ones  were  brought  home  by  Qrake  in  1586,  and  the 
second  perished.  It  was  in  1584  that  he  commenced  the  cultivation  of 
the  potato  on  a  large  scale  on  his  estate  in  Munster,  and  in  1588  he  took 
an  active  part  in  the  operations  against  the  Armada,  and  commenced 
that  career  against  the  fleets  and  colonies  of  Spain  that  distinguished  his 
greater  plans  in  later  life.  About  1592  he  was  imprisoned  by  Queen 
Elizabeth,  but  regained  his  liberty  and  sent  out  a  mariner  to  learn  the 
way  to  Eldorado,  a  fabled  country  of  gold  in  South  America.  The  next 
year,  1595,  he  himself  took  command  of  an  expedition  in  search  of  El- 
dorado, and  arrived  with  five  ships  at  the  Island  of  Trinidad,  whence  he 
ascended  the  Orinoco  in  small  boats,  and  found  some  gold,  though  he 
did  not  discover  the  mythical  country.  He  published  an  account  of  his 
voyage  and  discoveries,  but  the  troubles  and  honors  awaiting  him  at 
home  prevented  what  he  so  much  desired — a  thorough  exploration  of 
the  country  and  an  expedition  against  the  possessions  of  Spain  in  the 
West  Indies.  He  was  tried  for  treason  and  condemned  to  the  tower  in 
1603,  and  during  his  long  imprisonment  wrote  his  unfinished  "History  of 
the  World."  Released  on  the  condition  that  he  discover  the  gold  mines 
of  Guiana,  though  his  life  was  still  to  be  at  the  king's  mercy  if  he  tres- 
passed upon  the  possessions  of  Spain,  he  sailed  on  that  forlorn  hope,  fi- 
nally returning  without  the  expected  gold,  and  having  incurred  the  hostil- 


1 82  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

ity  of  the  king  by  taking  and  burning  a  Spanish  settlement  on  the  Orinoco. 
Tried  on  the  counts  of  piracy  for  having  broken  his  promise  and  shed 
Spanish  blood,  he  was  sentenced  to  death  and  executed  on  the  29th  of 
October,  1618. 

851.  Portrait  of  Martin  Frobisher. 

Martin  Frobisher  was  born  about  1535  in  Yorkshire,  England,  and  as 
early  as  1560  he  was  meditating  the  discovery  of  a  northwest  passage  to 
Cathay.  In  1576,  with  two  small  barks  and  a  pinnace,  he  sailed  to  the 
coast  of  Labrador,  returning  the  same  year.  The  next  year  he  com- 
manded an  expedition  to  Greenland,  and  was  personally  thanked  by  the 
queen  (Elizabeth),  who  encouraged  him  to  take  a  third  expedition  the  next 
year  again  to  Greenland,  when  he  entered  Hudson's  Bay.  In  1588  he  was 
knighted  for  his  part  in  destroying  the  Spanish  Armada,  and  in  1594  he 
received  a  wound  from  which  he  died. 

852.  Portrait  of  John  Hawkins. 

Born  at  Plymouth,  England,  in  1532,  and  bred  a  sailor.  He  made  three 
voyages  to  Guinea,  the  first  in  1562,  second  in  1564,  and  the  third  in  com- 
pany with  young  Drake  in  1567.  In  the  expedition  against  the  Armada 
he  was  appointed  vice-admiral,  hoisting  his  flag  on  board  the  "Victory,'" 
and  for  his  services  on  that  occasion  he  was  knighted.  He  was  the  first 
to  use  chain  pumps  and  fighting  nettings  for  ships.  His  last  expedition 
was  in  1595,  in  company  with  Drake,  and  he  died  the  12th  of  Novem- 
ber of  that  year  off  Puerto  Rico. 

853.  Sir  Francis  Drake,  British  mariner,  identified  with  the  early  history 

of  America. 
.  Born  about  1545,  made  a  voyage  to  Guinea  with  Hawkins  at  the  age  of 
twenty;  in  1570  obtained  a  regular  privateering  commission  from  Queen 
Elizabeth,  and  in  1572  sailed  for  the  Spanish  Main  and  Panama,  where 
he  made  great  havoc  among  the  shipping  and  took  and  plundered  cities. 
From  the  top  of  a  tree  on  the  isthmus  he  first  saw  the  Pacific.  Return- 
ing to  England  in  August,  1573,  he  was  presented  at  court,  and  in  De- 
cember, 1577,  sailed  on  his  famous  voyage  around  the  world  through  the 
Straits  of  Magellan,  ravaging  the  coasts  of  Chile  and  Peru,  and  finally- 
reaching  England  in  November,  1580.  In  1585  he  took  several  cities  on 
the  Spanish  Main  and  in  the  West  Indies,  becoming  a  scourge  to  the 
Spaniards,  and  in  1587  he  destroyed  above  ten  thousand  tons  of  shipping 
in  the  harbor  of  Cadiz— ships  intended  for  the  Spanish  Armada.  He 
died  and  was  buried  at  sea  January,  1595,  off  Porto  Bello. 

854.  Capture  of  Santo  Domingo  by  Sir  Francis  Drake. 

Early  pictures  of  America  from  De  Bry's  Voyages,  1595. 
Sir  Francis  Drake,  the  terror  of  the   Spanish  settlements  along  the 
Spanish  Main  and  in  the  West  Indies,  sacked  the  city  of  Santo  Domingo 


THE    CONQUEST    OF    MEXICO    AND    PERU.  I83 

so  thoroughly  about  the  year  1585  that  even  the  archives  of  the  cathe- 
dral were  destroyed,  and  no  paper  of  more  ancient  date  than  1580  can 
be  found  there.  Embedded  in  the  roof  of  the  cathedral  is  a  cannon 
ball  thrown  from  one  of  his  vessels  at  this  time. 

855.  Capture  of  Carthagena  by  Sir  Francis  Drake. 

856.  Reception  of  Sir  Francis  Drake. 

Early  pictures  of  America  from  De  Bry's  Voyages,  1595. 

857.  Buccaneer  cannons  from  Tortola,  West  Indies. 

Tortola,  in  the  virgin  group  of  the  West  Indies,  is  nearly  deserted  of 
its  white  inhabitants  and  has  no  commerce,  but  at  one  time  it  was  a 
nourishing  island  with  fine  plantations.  The  virgins  were  the  haunts  at 
one  period  of  the  pirates  and  the  buccaneers,  who  infested  these  seas, 
and  one  of  the  channels  between  the  isles  bears  the  name  of  Sir  Francis 
Drake.  These  cannons  are  believed  to  have  come  from  one  of  the, pirate 
ships  landed  here  in  the  seventeenth  century. 

858.  Ponce  de  Leon  landing  in  Florida. 

In  his  search  for  the  fountain  of  perpetual  youth,  in  1512,  Ponce  de 
Leon  cruised  the  Bahamas  and  unwittingly  discovered  the  coast  of 
Florida,  finding  there  Indians  more  warlike  than  the  natives  of  Santo 
Domingo  and  Puerto  Rico,  where, he  had  been  living  for  some  years, 
and  who,  on  his  return  to  Florida,  afterward  gave  him  battle  and  in- 
flicted wounds  that  caused  his  death. 

859.  Indians  of  Florida  presenting  fruit  to  Ponce  de  Leon. 

860.  Queen  of  Florida.    From  De  Bry's  Voyages,  1595. 

861.  The  King  of  Florida. 

Early  pictures  of  America  from  De  Bry's  Voyages,  1595. 

862.  People  of  Florida  sacrificing  their  first-born  to  the  sun.     From  an  old 

print. 

863.  Old  pistols  from  Puerto  Rico. 

•  Two  old  pistols  from  the  island  of  Puerto  Rico  left  there  by  the  Eng- 
lish after  their  invasion  in  the  last  century.     Loaned  by  F.  A.  Ober. 

864.  Arquebuse  and  ancient  swords  from  Puerto  Rico. 

The  arquebuse  was  left  in  the  island  of  Puerto  Rico  when  the  English 
retreated  after  their  invasion  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago.  It 
is  a  Tower-of-London  piece,  and  one  of  the  best  produced  at  that  time. 
The  swords  are  of  Spanish  make,  and  were  brought  to  Puerto  Rico  by 
the  early  settlers,  being  of  the  first  part  of  the  eighteenth  century.  Pre- 
sented to  F.  A.  Ober,  who  loans  them  to  the  Exposition. 

865.  Group   of  old    engravings  representing  scenes  in  the  early  history  of 

America. 


I84  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

SPANISH  REMAINS  IN  NORTH  AMERICA. 


866.  Sir  Francis  Drake  capturing  St.  Augustine,  Florida. 

In  the  year  1586  Sir  Francis  Drake,  being  then  on  a  piratical  expedi- 
tion against  the  Spanish  settlements,  saw  signs  of  a  settlement  at  St. 
Augustine  -hitherto  unsuspected  by  the  English — and  attacked  and 
plundered  the  town.  During  the  seventeenth  century  the  isolated  settle- 
ment was  exposed  to  the  attacks  of  Indians,  pirates  and  the  English  set- 
tlers of  the  adjacent  Carolinas. 

867.  St.  Augustine,  Florida,  in  1565. 

868.  St.  Augustine  in  1565.     From  an  old  print. 

869.  Ponce  de  Leon  landing  in  Florida.     From  De  Bry's  Voyages,  1595. 

Ponce  de  Leon,  one  of  the  conquistadores,  first  settled  in  Santo  Domingo, 
thence  he  invaded  Puerto  Rico,  and  from  Puerto  Rico  sailed  on  his  famous 
quest  for  the  Fountain  of  Youth,  threading  the  chain  of  the  Bahama 
Islands  and  discovering  the  coast  of  Florida,  1512.  He  did  not  make  any 
extended  exploration  of  the  peninsula,  but  he  returned  some  years  later, 
having  been  appointed  adelantado  of  the  Bahamas  and  Florida,  and 
was  wounded  in  a  skirmish  with  the  Indians,  and  retreating  to  Havana  he 
died  there  in  1521.  His  body  was  taken  to  Puerto  Rico,  and  the  remains 
now  repose  in  the  Dominican  c*hurch  of  San  Juan  de  Puerto  Rico. 

870.  St.  Augustine,  Florida,  in  1633.     From  Ogilby's  History  of  America. 

871.  Relics  of  Spanish  occupation  in   North  America.     Views  of  St.  Augus- 

tine, Florida. 

St.  Augustine  was  settled — or  at  least  a  fort  was  commenced  there — in 
1565,  and  so  has  the  distinction  of  being  the  oldest  city  of  European  foun- 
dation in  the  United  States.  The  city  was  captured  by  Sir  Francis  Drake 
in  1596,  and  the  fort  taken  by  the  settlers  of  Carolina  in  1704,  but  the  prov- 
ince remained  in  the  hands  of1  the  Spaniards  until  1763,  when  it  was  ceded 
to  Great  Britain  in  exchange  for  Cuba.  It  was  retroceded  to  Spain  by 
treaty  of  1783,  and  in  1819  was  ceded  to  the  United  States,  possession 
being  given  in  1821. 

872.  Ponce  de  Leon  Hotel,  St.  Augustine,  Florida,  1892. 

From  its  numerous  attractions  of  climate,  scenery  and  antiquity,  St- 
Augustine  has  long  been  a  favorite  resort  with  those  seeking  Florida  for 
a  change  of  scene  and  climate  during  the  winter  months.  Although  pos- 
sessed of  a  quaint  architecture  of  its  own,  and  being  more  Spanish  than 
any  town  on  the  Atlantic  coast  of  the  United  States,  yet  nearly  all  the 
great  structures  of  modern  times,  as  the  hotels,  have  been  built  by 
northern  capital,  and  the  place  mainly  supported  by  the  influx  of 
northern  visitors.     The  great  hotels  of  recent  erection,  like  the  Ponce  de 


THE    CONQUEST    OF    MEXICO    AND    PERU.  185 

Leon  and  Alcazar,  have  oeen  Moorish  and  oriental  in  their  architecture, 
entirely  in  accord  with  the- history  and  traditions  of  the  old  city. 

873.  Relics  of  Spanish  occupation  of  North  America.    Views  of  Fort  Marion, 

St.  Augustine,  Florida. 

The  Spaniards  established  a  fort  at  St.  Augustine  in  1565,  but  Fort 
Marion  was  not  finished  until  1756.  It  is  a  fine  specimen  of  the  old  Span- 
ish military  architecture,  with  moat  and  outworks,  with  walls  twenty  feet 
high,  bastioned  and  casemated.  It  is  built  in  the  form  of  a  trapezium, 
covers  four  acres,  and  is  made  of  the  coquina  rock  so  plentiful  on  Anas- 
tasia  island  across  the  bay. 

874.  Mission  of  Santa  Barbara,  California. 

875.  Ruins  of  the  Mission  of  Saa  Luis  Rey,  California. 

876.  San  Gabriel  Mission,  California. 

Lower  California  was  occupied  by  Jesuit  missionaries  as  early  as  1697, 
where  they  continued  till  1767,  when  they  were  expelled  by  the  king  of 
Spain  and  their  possessions  given  to  the  Franciscans,  who  were  replaced 
by  the  Dominicans,  and  the  Franciscans  withdrew  to  upper  California 
and  there  established  those  famous  missions,  the  ruins  of  which  we  find 
there  to-day.  Selecting  the  finest  spots  and  bringing  under  subjection 
the  native  Indians,  who  virtually  became  their  slaves,  the  fathers  made 
the  country  blossom  with  gardens  and  accumulated  great  wealth.  The 
missions  were  twenty-two  in  number,  and  flourished  until  the  separation 
of  Mexico  from  Spain,  in  1822,  when  they  fell  into  decline  and  were 
finally  given  up  altogether,  about  1840. 

877.  Mission  of  Santa  Ynez,  California. 

878.  Mission  of  San  Carlos,  near  Monterey. 

879.  Mission  of  San  Miguel,  California. 

880.  Church  of  San  Miguel,  Santa  Fe,  New  Mexico. 

881.  Mission  of  San  Juan  Bautista,  California. 

882.  Mission  of  San  Antonio  de  Padua,  California. 

883.  Mission  of  San  Juan  Capestrano,  California. 

884.  First  pictures  of  New  York.     Published  in  1595. 

885.  The  natives  of  California.     From  an  old  print. 

886.  First  map  of  the  city  of  Santo  Domingo. 

887.  First  map  of  the  island  of  Santo  Domingo. 

888.  The  city  of  Truxillo,  Honduras,  in  1565. 

889.  City  of  Havana  in  1565. 


l86  '       THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 


SECTION  O.     ORIGINAL  PAPERS  PERTAINING    TO  COLUMBUS. 
LOANED  BY  THE  DUKE  OF   VERAGUA.* 


900.  Letters  from  the  King  of  Portugal  to  Christopher  Columbus. 

Dated  Avis,  May  29,  1488. 

901.  The  original  commission  given  to  Columbus  by   Ferdinand  and  Isabella 

upon  his  departure  for  the  first  voyage. 

Dated  Granada,  April  30,  1492,  appointing  him  Grand  Admiral  of  the 
Ocean  Seas,  Vice-King  and  Governor-General  of  all  the  lands  that  he 
should  discover. 

[Translation.] 

In  the  name  of  the  Holy  Trinity  and  Eternal  Unity,  Father,  Son  and  Holy  Ghost, 
three  persons  really  distinct  and  one  divine  essence,  who  lives  and  reigns  forever  with- 
out end;  and  of  the  most  Blessed  Virgin,  glorious  Holy  Mary,  our  Lady,  His  Mother, 
whom  we  hold  as  Lady  and  Advocate  in  all  our  undertakings;  and  to  the  honor  and 
reverence  of  her,  and  of  the  most  blessed  Apostle  St.  James,  light  and  mirror  of  the 
Spains,  patron  and  gnide  of  the  Kings  of  Castile  and  of  Leon;  and  likewise  to  the  honor 
and  reverence  of  all  the  other  Saints  of  the  Celestial  Court;  as  man,  by  whatever  knowl- 
edge he  may  have  of  the  world,  can  not,  according  to  nature,  completely  know  what 
God  is,  but  may  know  Him  by  seeing  and  contemplating  His  wonders  and  the  works 
and  deeds  which  He  performed  and  performs  every  day,  because  all  the  works  are  the 
effect  of  His  power  and  are  governed  by  His  wisdom  and  maintained  by  His  goodness; 
and  so,  man  may  understand  that  God  is  the  beginning,  the  middle  and  end  of  all 
things;  and  that  they  are  included  in  Him  and  He  maintains  each  one  in  that  state  in 
which  He  placed  it  in  the  order  (of  the  world),  and  all  stand  in  need  of  Him  and  He  of 
none,  and  He  can  change  them  whenever  it  may  be  agreeable  to  His  will;  and  He  can  not 
be  subjected  to  change,  nor  be  changed  in  anything;  and  He  is  called  the  King  of  Kings, 
because  from  Him  they  derive  their  name  and  reign  through  Him,  and  He  governs  and 
preserves  them,  who  are  Vicars  (each  one  in  His  own  kingdom)  placed  by  Him  over  the 
people  to  maintain  them  temporarily  in  justice  and  in  truth,  which  is  fully  demon- 
strated in  two  ways — the  one  spiritual,  according  as  the  prophets  and  saints  demon- 
strated, upon  whom  our  Lord  conferred  the  grace  of  understanding  those  things  cer- 
tainly and  make  them  be  understood  by  others;  the  other  natural,  as  the  philosophers 
demonstrated,  who  understood  those  things  naturally,  for  the  saints  declared  that  the 
King  is  established  upon  earth  in  the  place  of  God  to  render  justice  and  give  to  every  one 
his  right,  and  on  this  account  they  called  him  the  heart  and  soul  of  the  people;  and  as 
the  soul  resides  in  the  heart  of  man  and  the  body  lives  and  is  preserved  by  it,  so  justice 
is  established  in  the  King,  which  is  the  life  and  preservation  of  the  people  of  his  do- 
minions.   And  as  the  heart  is  one,  and  through  it  all  the  other  members  receive  unity 

*These  documents,  the  most  precious  historical  papers  in  existence,  were  loaned  by 
the  Duke  of  Veragua  at  the  request  of  the  President  of  the  United  States,  made  by  the 
authority  of  Congress. 


original  papers  pertaining  to  columbus.  187 

so  as  to  form  one  body,  in  like  manner  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  kingdom,  although 
many,  are  one,  because  the  King  must  be  and  is  one,  and  through  him  all  have  to  be  one 
with  him  to  follow  and  assist  him  in  the  things  he  has  to  perform.  Then  philosophers 
naturally  declared  that  Kings  are  the  head  of  the  kingdom,  for  in  the  same  manner  as 
sentiment  springs  from  the  head,  which  command  all  the  other  members  of  the  body 
in  like  manner  by  the  command  which  emanates  from  the  King,  lord  and  head  of  all, 
the  inhabitants  of  the  kingdom  must  be  directed  and  governed,  and  they  have  to  obey 
him;  and  so  great  is  the  right  of  kingly  power  that  all  the  laws  and  rights  are  in  the 
power  of  Kings,  who  acknowledge  it  not  from  men,  but  from  God,  whose  place  they 
hold  in  temporal  affairs.  Among  other  things  it  especially  behooves  the  King  to  love, 
honor  and  preserve  his  people,  and  among  these  he  must  particularly  distinguish  and 
honor  persons  meritorious,  either  by  services  rendered  to  him  or  on  account  of  theirbe- 
ing  endowed  with  goodness.  And  as,  according  to  the  sayings  of  the  wise,  justice  is 
one  of  the  virtues  peculiar  to  Kin^s,  which  is  the  support  and  truth  of  things,  by  which 
the  world  is  better  and  more  justly  preserved,  being  likewise  a  fountain  from  which 
every  right  is  derived  and  remains  always  alive  in  the  minds  of  just  men  and  never  fails 
giving  and  distributing  to  each  one  equally  his  right,  and  embracing  in  itself  all  the 
principal  virtues,  and  very  great  utility  arises  from  it,  because  it  engages  every  person 
to  live  with  prudence  and  in  peace  according  to  his  state  without  fault  and  without 
error,  the  good  becoming  through  it  better  by  receiving  a  reward  for  their  deeds  rightly 
performed,  and  the  others  correcting  themselves  and  entering  through  it  into  the  right 
road.  Of  which  justice  there  are  two  principal  partb— the  one  is  communicative 
between  man  and  man,  the  other  is  distributive,  which  carries  with  it  the  rewards  and 
recompenses  of  the  good  and  virtuous  labors  and  services  which  individuals  render  to 
Kings  and  Princes  and  to  the  commonweal  of  their  kingdoms;  and  as  the  conferring  a 
reward  upon  those  who  serve  well  and  faithfully  is  an  attribute,  i.s  the  law  sajs,  very 
becoming  to  all  mankind,  and  more  especially  to  Kings,  Princes  and  great  Lords,  who 
have  the  power  of  doing  it,  and  whose  proper  office  it  is  to  honor  and  elevate  those  who 
serve  them  well  and  faithfully  and  who  are  worthy  of  it  on  account  of  their  virtues  and 
services;  and  Kings  in  conferring  rewards  upon  worthy  actions  show  by  that  their  ac- 
knowledgment of  virtue  and  love  of  justice,  for  justice  consists  not  only  in  giving  an 
example  of  punishment  as  a  terror  to  the  wicked,  but  likewise  in  recompensing  the 
good,  and  besides  this  a  signal  advantage  arises  from  it,  because  it  excites  the  good  to 
become  better  and  the  wicked  to  correct  themselves,  and  by  not  acting  thus  the  contrary 
might  take  place;  and  since  among  other  rewards  and  remunerations  which  Kings  have 
it  in  their  power  to  bestow  upon  them  truly  and  faithfully,  there  is  that  of  honoring  and 
elevating  them  above  all  the  others  of  their  race  and  ennobling,  decorating  and  honor- 
ing them  and  conferring  many  other  kindnesses,  favors  and  graces  upon  them. 

We,  considering  and  reflecting  upon  the  abovesaid  things,  will,  that,  by  this  our 
patent  of  privilege,  and  by  a  copy  of  it  signed  by  a  public  scrivener,  pre-ent  and  future 
generations  may  know,  thatfcWe,  Don  Ferdinand  and  Dona  Isabella,  by  the  grace  of 
God,  King  and  Queen  of  Castile,  Leon,  Aragon,  Sicily,  Granada,  Toledo,  Valencia, 
Galicia,  Majorca,  Seville,  Sardinia,  Corsica,  Murcia,  Jahen,  Algarve,  Algesira,  Gibral- 
tar, anil  the  Canary  Islands,  Count  and  Countess  of  Barcelona,  Lords  of  Biscay  and 
Molina,  Dukes  of  Athens  and  Neopatria,  Counts  of  Roussillon  and  Cerdan,  Marquises 
of  Orestan  and  Goziano,  have  seen  a  patent  of  grace  signed  with  our  names,  and  sealed 
with  our  seal,  drawn  up  as  follows : 

Don  Ferdinand  and  Dona  Isabella,  by  the  grace  of  God,  King  and  Queen  of  Castile, 
Leon,  Aragon,  Sicily,  Granada,  Toledo,  Valencia,  Galicia,  Majorca,  Seville,  Sardinia, 
Cordova,  Corsica,  Murcia,  Jahen,  Algarve,  Algesita,  Gibraltar,  and  the  Canary  Islands, 
Count  and  Countess  of  Barcelona,  Lords  of  Biscay  and  Molina.  Dukes  of  Athens  and 
Neopatria,  Counts  of  Roussillon  and  Cerdan,  Marquises  of  Orestan  and  Goziano :    In- 


THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

asmuch  as  you,  Christopher  Columbus,  are  going  by  our  command  to  discover  and 
conquer,  with  some  of  our  vessels  and  our  subjects,  certain  islands  and  mainland  in 
the  ocean,  and  as  it  is  hoped,  with  the  assistance  of  God,  that  some  of  the  aforesaid 
islands  and  mainland  in  the  said  ocean  will  be  discovered  and  conquered  through  your 
labor  and  industry;  and  it  being  just  and  reasonable  that  for  exposing  younelf  to  such 
danger  for  our  service,  you  should  be  rewarded;  We,  desiring  on  that  account  to  do  you 
honor  and  favor,  declare  it  to  be  our  will  and  pleasure,  that  you,  the  abovesaid  Chris- 
topher Columbus,  when  you  shall  have  discovered  and  conquered  the  said  island  and 
mainland  in  the  said  ocean,  or  any  one  whatsoever  of  them,  be  our  Admiral  of  the  said 
islands  and  mainland,  which  you  shall  thus  discover  and  conquer,  and  be  our  Admiral, 
Viceroy  and  Governor  of  them;  and  that  you  may  from  this  time  forward,  style  and 
entitle  yourself  Don  Christopher  Columbus;  and  likewise  your  children  and  successors 
in  the  said  office  and  charge,  may  entitle  and  call  themselves,  Don,  Admiral,  Viceroy, 
and  Governor  of  them;  and  that  you  may  use  and  exercise  the  said  office  of  Admiral, 
with  the  aforesaid  office  of  Viceroy  and  Governor  of  the  abovesaid  islands  and  main- 
land, which  you  discover  and  conquer,  as  well  by  yourself,  and  by  means  of  your  lieu- 
tenants, and  hear  and  determine  all  suits,  and  civil  and  criminal  causes  respecting  the 
said  office  of  Admiral,  and  of  Viceroy  and  Governor,  according  as  you  will  find  by 
right,  and  in  the  manner  in  which  the  Admirals  of  our  kingdoms  were  accustomed  to 
use  and  exercise  it;  and  that  you  may  punish  and  chastise  delinquents;  and  use  the  said 
office  of  Admiral,  Viceroy  and  Governor,  you  and  your  abovesaid  lieutenants,  in  all  that 
concerns  and  is  annexed  to  the  said  offices,  and  to  each  one  of  them;  and  that  you  may 
have  and  receive  the  rights  and  fees  belonging  and  annexed  to  the  6aid  offices, 
and  to  each  of  them;  according  as  our  high  admiral  in  the  admiralty  of  our  king- 
doms receives,  and  is  accustomed  to  receive  them.  And  by  this  our  patent,  or  by 
a  copy  of  it,  signed  by  a  public  scrivener,  we  command  the  Prince  Don  John, 
our  most  dearly  beloved  son,  the  Infantes,  dukes,  prelates,  marquises,  counts, 
masters  of  orders,  priors,  companions,  and  those  of  our  council;  and  the  auditors 
of  our  chamber,  alcaldes,  and  other  officers  of  justice,  whoever  they  may  be,  of  our 
household,  court  and  chancery,  and  the  governors  of  castles  and  strong  and  open  places; 
and  all  counselors,  assistants,  corregidors,  alcaldes,  bailiffs  and  sheriffs,  and  the 
twenty-four  sworn  chancellors,  esquires,  officers,  and  good  men  of  all  the  cities,  towns 
and  places  of  our  kingdoms  and  dominions,  and  of  those  which  you  shall  conquer  and 
acquire,  and  the  captains,  masters,  mates  and  officers,  mariners  and  seamen,  our  sub- 
jects and  natives,  who  now  are  and  shall  be  hereafter,  and  every  one,  and  whomsoever 
of  them,  that  the  said  islands  and  mainland  in  the  ocean,  being  discovered  and  acquired 
by  you,  and  they  being  taken,  and  the  solemnities  that  are  required  on  such  occasions 
having  been  observed  by  you,  or  by  the  person  who  shall  receive  the  power  for  you,  to 
have  and  to  hold  to  you  hereafter,  during  all  your  life,  and  after  you,  your  son  and  suc- 
cessor, and  from  successor  to  successor  forever,  as  our  admiral  of  the  6aid  ocean,  and 
as  viceroy  and  governor  of  the  aforesaid  islands  and  mainland,  which  you,  the  abovesaid 
Don  Christopher  Columbus,  shall  discover  and  acquire;  and  to  treat  of  whatever  regards 
such  things  with  you,  and  with  your  abovesaid  lieutenants,  whom  you  shall  place  in  the 
said  offices  of  admiral,  viceroy  and  governor,  and  to  exact  and  cause  to  be  exacted  for 
you,  with  quittance,  the  fees  and  other  things  annexed  and  belonging  to  the  said  offices; 
and  to  observe,  and  cause  to  be  observed  toward  you,  all  the  honors,  graces,  favors, 
liberties,  pre-eminences,  prerogatives,  exemptions  and  immunities,  and  all  and  every 
other  thing,  which  by  right  of  the  said  offices  of  admiral,  viceroy  and  governor  you  are 
to  have  and  enjoy,  and  which  are  to  be  maintained  to  you  in  all,  well  and  completely,  in 
such  manner  as  not  to  be  diminished  in  anything,  and  not  place,  nor  permit  to  be 
placed,  any  sequestration  upon,  nor  offer  any  opposition  to  them;  because  We,  with 
this  our  patent,  now  and  forever,  make  a  grant  to  you  of  the  said  offices  of  admiral 


ORIGINAL    PAPERS    PERTAINING    TO    COLUMBUS.  189 

viceroy  and  governor,  by  right  of  inheritance  forever;  and  we  give  you  possession  of 
them,  and  of  every  one  of  them,  and  the  power  and  authority  to  use  and  exercise  them, 
and  to  take  the  fees  and  salaries  annexed  and  belonging  to  them,  and  every  one  of  them 
according  as  has  been  said.  And  for  as  much  as  has  been  said,  if  it  were  necessary,  and 
if  you  should  demand  it,  we  order  our  chancellor,  notaries,  and  other  officers,  who  are 
employed  in  the  office  of  our  seals,  to  give,  expedite  and  seal  for  you,  our  patent  to 
privilege,  folded  up  in  the  form  of  a  roll;  in  the  strongest,  most  firm,  and  fit  manner, 
and  that  you  may  demand  of  them,  and  be  necessary  for  you;  and  none  of  you  act,  nor 
let  act  otherwise  in  any  manner,  under  the  penalty  of  our  displeasure,  and  of  ten 
thousand  maravedis  for  our  chamber,  upon  any  pretense  whatsoever.  And  moreover, 
we  enjoin  the  individual,  who  presents  to  you  this  our  patent,  to  cite  you  to  appear 
before  our  presence  in  our  courts,  wherever  we  may  be,  within  the  fifteen  next  follow- 
ing days  from  the  day  of  the  citation,  under  the  aforesaid  penalty;  under  which  we  com- 
mand every  public  scrivener  whatsoever,  who  for  this  purpose  shall  be  called  upon,  to 
give  to  him  who  shall  have  presented  this  paper  a  certificate  signed  with  his  signet,  in 
order  that  we  may  know  how  our  command  is  executed. 

Given  in  our  city  of  Granada,  on  the  thirtieth  day  of  the  month  of  April,  in  the  year 
of  the  nativity  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  one  thousand  four  hundred  and  ninety-two. 

I,  THE  KING. 
I,  THE  QUEEN. 

902.  Royal   letters   patent   from   the   sovereigns  of  Spain,  exempting  from 

taxes  supplies  needed  for  the  fleet  of  Columbus  on  his  first  voyage. 

Dated  April  30,  1492. 

903.  Royal  letters  patent  from  the   sovereigns  of  Spain,  commanding  the 

inhabitants  of  Palos  to  furnish    Christopher    Columbus    everything 

necessary  to  equip  the  caravels  for  his  first  voyage. 

Dated  Granada,  April  30,  1492. 

Don  Ferdinand  and  Dona  Isabella,  by  the  grace  of  God,  King  and  Queen  of  Castile, 
Leon,  Aragon,  etc.,  etc.,  to  you  Diego  Rodrigues  Prieto,  and  to  all  other  persons  inhab- 
itants of  the  town  of  Palos,  Greeting:  You  are  well  aware  that  in  consequence  of  some 
offense  which  we  received  at  your  hands,  you  were  condemned  by  our  council  to  render 
us  the  service  of  two  caravels  armed  at  your  own  expense  for  the  space  of  twelve 
months  whenever  and  wherever  it  should  be  our  pleasure  to  demand  the  same,  this  serv- 
ice to  be  rendered  under  certain  penalties  as  stated  more  at  large  in  the  sentence  given 
against  you. 

And,  inasmuch  as  we  have  ordered  Christopher  Columbus  to  proceed  with  a  fleet  of 
three  caravels,  as  our  captain,  to  certain  parts  of  the  ocean,  upon  a  matter  connected 
with  our  service,  and  we  desire  that  the  two  caravels,  the  service  of  which  you  owe  us 
as  abovesaid,  should  be  placed  at  his  disposal— we  hereby  order  that  within  ten  days 
from  the  sight  of  this  letter,  without  delay  'or  waiting  for  any  further  directions,  you 
have  in  complete  readiness  the  said  two  armed  caravels  for  the  service  of  the  above- 
mentioned  Christopher  Columbus  in  the  enterprise  upon  which  we  have  dispatched 
him,  and  that  they  be  placed  at  his  command  from  that  time  forth ;  and  for  the  crews  of 
the  saiel  two  caravels  we  order  him  to  pay  you  fe>rthwith  four  months'  wages  at  the  same 
rate  with  which  the  crew  of  the  other  caravel  jis  paid,  being  the  common  allowance  for 
ships  of  war. 

The  vessels  thus  placeel  under  his  direction  shall  follow  the  route  ordered  by  him  on 
our  part,  anel  obey  him  in  all  other  orders,  provided  that  neither  you  nor  the  said 
Christopher  Columbus,  nor  any  other  person  belonging  to  the  said  caravels,  shall  pro- 
ceed to  the  mine,  nor  to  the  countries  in  that  neighborhood  occupied  by  the  King  of 


190  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

Portugal,  our  brother,  as  it  is  our  desire  to  adhere  to  the  agreement  existing  between 
us  and  the  said  King  of  Portugal  upon  that  head. 

And  having  received  a  certificate  from  the  said  captain  that  he  has  received  the  said 
two  caravels  from  you,  and  is  satisfied  with  the  same,  we  shall  consider  you  as  having 
discharged  the  obligation  imposed  upon  you  by  our  council  as  abovesaid,  and  we  hereby 
declare  you  thenceforth  free  from  the  same;  but  in  the  event  of  the  non-fulfillment  of 
or  procrastination  of  the  above  order,  we  shall  forthwith  command  the  execution  of  the 
penalties  contained  in  the  aforesaid  sentence,  upon  each  one  of  you  and  your  goods. 

The  above  requisition  is  to  be  complied  with  throughout,  under  pain  of  our  displeas- 
ure and  a  penalty  of  ten  thousand  maravedis  for  the  non-performance  of  any  part 
thereof,  to  which  end  we  hereby  order  under  the  said  penalty,  whatever  public  notary 
may  be  called  upon  for  that  purpose,  to  furnish  you  with  the  proper  signed  attestations, 
that  we  may  be  assured  of  the  fulfillment  of  our  orders. 

Given  in  the  city  of  Granada,  on  I,  THE  KING, 

thirtieth  day  of  April,  in 
the  year  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
one  thousand  four  hundred  and 

ninety-two.  I,  THE  QUEEN. 

JUAN  DE  COLOMA, 

Secretary  of  the  King  and 
Queen,  etc.,  etc. 
Done  in  due  form, 

RODER1CUS,  Doctor. 
Registered, 

SEBASTIAN  DE  OLANO, 
FRANCISCO  DE  MADRID, 

Chancellor. 

904.  Royal   letters   patent  from   the   sovereigns  of   Spain  commanding  the 

inhabitants  of  Palos  to  furnish  Christopher  Columbus  with  two  cara- 
vels for  his  first  voyage. 
Dated  Granada,  April  30,  1492. 

905.  Royal  letters  patent  from  the  sovereigns  of  Spain  granting  license  to 

the  persons  accompanying  Columbus  on  his  first  voyage. 
Dated  Granada,  April  30,  1492. 

Don  Ferdinand  and  Dona  Isabella,  by  the  grace  of  God,  King  and  Queen  of  Castile, 
Leon,  Aragon,  etc.,  etc.  To  the  Members  of  our  C  ouncil.  Oidors  of  our  Court  of  Audi- 
ence, Corregidores,  Asistentes,  Alcaldes,  Alguaeils,  Merinos,  and  all  other  magistrates 
whatsoever  of  all  the  cities,  towns  and  villages  of  our  kingdoms  and  dominions,  to 
every  one  who  shall  see  this  writing  or  a  copy  of  the  same  attested  by  a  public  notary, 
Greeting: 

Be  it  known  to  you  that  we  have  ordered  Christopher  Columbus  to  proceed  to  sea  for 
the  accomplishment  of  certain  business  for  our  service,  and  as  we  are  informed  by  him 
that  in  order  to  man  the  fleet  which  he  is  to  command  for  the  execution  of  this  purpose, 
it  is  necessary  to  grant  security  to  the  persons  composing  the  crew  of  the  same,  who 
would  be  otherwise  unwilling  to  embark,  and  being  requested  by  him  to  give  the  nec- 
essary orders  for  this  measure,  we  have  determined  to  grant  what  is  demanded  by  him 
relating  to  this  matter.  , 

We  therefore  grant  a  security  to  each  and  every  person  belonging  to  the  crews  of  the 
fleet  of  the  said  Christopher  Columbus,  in  the  voyage  by  sea  which  he  is  to  undertake 


ORIGINAL    PAPERS    PERTAINING    TO    COLUMBUS.  igi 

by  our  command,  exempting  them  from  all  hindrance  or  inconvenience  either  in  their 
persons  or  goods;  and  we  declare  them  privileged  from  arrest  or  detention  on  account 
of  any  offense  or  crime  which  may  have  been  committed  by  them  up  to  the  date  of  this 
instrument,  and  during  the  time  they  may  be  upon  the  voyage,  and  for  two  months 
after  they  return  to  their  homes. 

And  we  hereby  command  you,  all  and  each  one,  in  your  several  districts  and  juris- 
dictions, that  you  abstain  from  trying  any  criminal  cause  touching  the  person  of  the 
crews  under  the  command  of  the  said  Christopher  Columbus,  during  the  time  above 
specified,  it  being  our  will  and  pleasure  that  every  matter  of  this  sort  remain  suspended. 
This  order  is  to  be  complied  with  as  you  value  our  favor,  and  under  a  penalty  of  ten 
thousand  maravedis  for  any  infringement  of  the  same. 

And  we  hereby  furthermore  command  every  public  notary  who  shall  be  applied  to 
for  any  purpose  connected  with  the  above-mentioned  mandate,  that  he  furnish  all  the 
proper  signed  attestations  which  are  necessary  in  the  case,  in  order  that  we  may  be 
assured  of  the  due  performance  of  our  orders. 

Given  in  our  city  of  Granada,  on  I,  THE  KING. 

the  thirtieth  day  of  April,  in 
the  year  of  our  Saviour  Jesus 
Christ,  one  thousand  four  hun- 
dred and  ninety-two.  I ,  THE  QUEEN. 

JUAN  DE  COLOMA,  Secretary. 
Executed  in  due  form, 

RODERICUS,  Doctor. 
FRANCISCO  DE  MADRID, 

Chancellor. 

906.  Royal  letters  patent  from  the  sovereigns  of  Spain  ordering  that  Chris- 

topher Columbus  may  take  without  charge  anything  needed  for  his 
first  voyage. 
Dated  May  15,  1492. 

907.  Royal  letters  patent  from  the   sovereigns  of  Spain  granting  power  to 

Christopher  Columbus  to  seal  and  deliver  stores  of  provisions  in  their 

names. 

Dated  May  15,  1492. 

908.  Royal  letters  patent  from  the   sovereigns  of  Spain  authorizing  three 

hundred  persons  to  be  taken  by  Columbus  on  his  second  voyage. 
Dated  Burgos,  April  23,  1493. 

909.  Bull  of  Pope  Alexander  granting  to  the  sovereigns    of  Spain  all  lands 

discovered  by  Christopher  Columbus. 
Dated  at  Rome,  May  4,  1493. 

910.  Royal  letters  patent  from  the  sovereigns  of  Spain  ordering  that  Chris- 

topher Columbus  may  be  allowed  to  pass  freely  through  ports,  cities 

towns  and  villages. 

Dated  Barcelona,  May  20,  1493. 

911.  Royal  letters  patent  from  the  sovereigns  of  Spain  directing  Columbus 

to  prepare  a  fleet  for  his  second  voyage. 
Dated  May  23,  1493. 


IQ2  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

912.  Royal  letters  patent  from  the  sovereigns  of  Spain  ordering  captains  and 

masters  of  vessels  to  recognize  Admiral  Christopher  Columbus   as 
Captain-General,  and  to  obey  him  in  every  particular. 
Dated  at  Barcelona,  May  28,  1493. 

913.  Royal  letters  patent  from  the  sovereigns  of  Spain  authorizing  Christo- 

pher Columbus  to  appoint  three  persons  for  the  offices  of  government 
in  the  lands  he  should  discover. 
Dated  Barcelona,  May  28,  1493. 

914.  Copy  of  the  instructions  for  preparation  for  his  second  voyage  given  to 

Columbus  by  Ferdinand  and  Isabella. 
Dated  May  29,  1493. 

915.  Letter  from  the  sovereigns  of  Spain  to  Christopher  Columbus  concern- 

ing  certain   expeditions  of  the   King  of  Portugal,  and  informing  him 
that  the  book  which  he  left  with  them  would  be  forwarded  to  him  by 
Don  Juan  de  Fonseca. 
Dated  June  1,  1493. 

916.  Letter  from  the  sovereigns  of  Spain  to  Columbus  assuring  him   of  the 

peaceful  intentions  of  the  King  of  Portugal. 
Dated  June  12,  1493. 

917.  Royal  letters  patent  from  the  sovereigns  of  Spain  directing  Christopher 

Columbus  to  return  to  the  Indies. 
Dated  Medina  del  Campo,  June  22,  1493. 

918.  Letter  from  Queen  Isabella  to  Columbus  recommending  Juan  Aguado 

to  a  good  position  in  his  fleet. 
Dated  June  30,  1493. 

919.  Letter   from   the   sovereigns   to    Christopher  Columbus  urging  him  to 

hasten  his  departure  to  the  Indies. 
Dated  August  18,  1493. 

920.  Letter  from  the  sovereigns  of  Spain  to  Christopher  Columbus,  asking 

his  opinion  in  regard  to  a  certain  document  which  had  been  prepared 
in  reply  to  the  King  of  Portugal. 
Dated  Barcelona,  September  5,  1493. 

921.  Letter   from   Queen   Isabella  to  Columbus  enclosing  a  copy  of  a  book 

which  he  had  left  with  her,  asking  him  to  send  her  a  certain  sailing 
chart,  and  urging  him  not  to  delay  his  departure. 
Dated  September  5,  1493. 


ORIGINAL    PAPERS    PERTAINING    TO    COLUMBUS.  I93 

922.  Letter  from  the  sovereigns  of    Spain  to  Christopher  Columbus   recom- 

mending the  appointment  of  Sebastian  de  Olano  as  collector  in  the 

Indies. 

•Dated  August  4,  1493. 

923.  Instructions  from  the  sovereigns  of  Spain  to  Columbus  concerning  his 

second  voyage. 

Dated  Barcelona,  March  30,  and  September  15,  1493;  Medina  del 
Campo,  April  19,  1494;  and  Segovia,  August  16,  1494. 

924.  Decree   of  King   Ferdinand  and  Queen  Isabella  granting  to  Columbus 

an  annuity  of  10,000  maravedis,   to  be   paid   from   the  tax   upon   the 
butcher  shops  of  Cordova  during  his  lifetime. 
Dated  at  Valladolid,  November  18,  1493. 

925.  Original  memoranda  written  by  Christopher  Columbus  to  the  sovereigns 

of  Spain  concerning  the  money  required  for  the  compensation  and 
subsistence  for  six  months  for  the  three  hundred  people  who  were  to 
accompany  him  on  his  second  voyage. 

926.  Letter  from  the  sovereigns  of  Spain  to  Christopher  Columbus  acknowl- 

edging the  receipt,  with  great  gratification,  of  letters  received  by  the 
hands  of  Antonio  de  Torres,  and  requesting  him  to  send  to  Spain  Bernal 
Diaz  de  Pisa,  accountant  of  the  expedition. 
Dated  Medina  del  Campo,  April  13,  1494. 

927.  Letter  from  the  sovereigns  of  Spain  to  Christopher  Columbus. 

Dated  Segovia,  August  15,  1494,  asking  certain  information  and  in- 
forming him  of  an  agreement  with  the  Kingdom  of  Portugal. 

928.  Certificate  of  Rodrigo  Perez,  notary  public  in  the  city  of  Isabella,  Santo 

Domingo,  December  16,  1495. 

Concerning  the  contract  made  by  the  sovereigns  of  Spain  with 
Christopher  Columbus  in  the  town  of  Santa  Fe  de  la  Vega  de  Granada, 
April  17,  1492. 

929.  Decree  of  King  Ferdinand  and  Queen   Isabella  granting  a  coat-of-arms 

to  Columbus,  June,  1496. 

930.  Letter  from  the  sovereigns  of  Spain  to  Christopher  Columbus,  congrat- 

ulating him  upon  his  return  from  his  second   voyage,   and  requesting 
him  to  report  to  the  court  at  once. 
Dated  July  12,  1496. 

931.  Letter  from  the    sovereigns  of  Spain   to    Christopher   Columbus   about 

gold,  pearls  and  other  treasure  obtained  in  the  Indies. 

Dated  March  30,  1497, 


194  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

932.  Commission  as  adelantado  mayor  granted  to  Bartholomew  Columbus 

by  the  sovereigns  of  Spain. 

Dated  at  Medina  del  Campo,  July  22,  1497. 

933.  Ordinances  issued  by  the  sovereigns  of  Spain  to  Christopher  Columbus 

and  the  court  of  Santo  Domingo  for   the   clearance   of  certain   ma- 
terials. 
Dated  1497. 

934.  Copies  of  royal  letters  patent  from   the  sovereigns  granting  to  Chris- 

topher Columbus  all  the  rights,  titles,  dignities  and  regalias  enjoyed 
by  the  Admiral  of  Castile.  Also  copies  of  royal  letters  patent  to 
towns  established  in  Santo  Domingo  and  contracts  of  Columbus 
with  the  sovereigns  of  Spain. 

These  copies  were  made  in  this  book  by  Columbus  or  by  some  clerk 
in  his  employ,  and  cover  a  period  of  twelve  years. 

935.  The  will  of  Christopher  Columbus. 

[Translation.] 

In  the  name  of  the  Most  Holy  Trinity,  who  inspired  me  with  the  idea  and  afterward 
made  it  perfectly  clear  to  me,  that  I  could  navigate  and  go  to  the  Indies  from  Spain,  by 
traversing  the  ocean  westwardly;  which  I  communicated  to  the  King,  Don  Ferdinand, 
and  to  the  Queen,  Doiia  Isabella,  our  Sovereigns;  and  they  were  pleased  to  furnish  me 
the  necessary  equipment  of  men  and  ships,  and  to  make  me  their  Admiral  over  the  said 
ocean,  in  all  parts  lying  to  the  west  of  an  imaginary  line,  drawn  from  pole  to  pole,  a 
hundred  leagues  west  of  the  Cape  de  Verde  and  Azore  Islands;  also  appointing  me  their 
Viceroy  and  Governor  over  all  continents  and  islands  that  I  might  discover  beyond  the 
said  line  westwardly;  with  the  right  of  being  succeeded  in  the  said  offices  by  my  eldest 
son  and  his  heirs  forever,  and  a  grant  of  the  tenth  part  of  all  things  found  in  the  said 
jurisdiction;  and  of  all  rents  and  revenues  arising  from  it;  and  the  eighth  of  all  the 
lands  and  everything  else,  together  with  the  salary  corresponding  to  my  rank  of 
Admiral,  Viceroy  and  Governor,  and  all  other  emoluments  accruing  thereto,  as  is  more 
fully  expressed  in  the  title  and  agreement  sanctioned  by  their  Highnesses. 

And  it  pleased  the  Lord  Almighty  that  in  the  year  one  thousand  four  hundred  and 
ninety-two,  I  should  discover  the  continent  of  the  Indies  and  many  islands,  among 
them  Espanola,  which  the  Indians  call  Ayte  and  the  Menicongos,  Cipango.  I  then  re- 
turned to  Castile  to  their  Highnesses,  who  approved  of  my  undertaking  a  second  en- 
terprise for  further  discoveries  and  settlements,  and  t\ie  Lord  gave  me  victory  over  the 
Island  of  Espanola,  which  extends  six  hundred  leagues,  and  I  conquered  it  and  made 
it  tributary;  and  I  discovered  many  islands  inhabited  by  cannibals,  and  seven  hundred 
to  the  west  of  Espanola,  among  which  is  Jamaica,  which  we  call  Santiago;  and  three 
hundred  and  thirty-three  leagues  of  continent  from  south  to  west,  besides  a  hundred 
and  seven  to  the  north,  which  I  discovered  in  my  first  voyage;  together  with  many 
islands,  as  may  more  clearly  be  seen  by  my  letters,  memorials  and  maritime  charts. . 
And  as  we  hope  in  God  that  before  long  a  good  and  great  revenue  will  be  derived  from 
the  above  islands  and  continent,  of  which,  for  the  reasons  aforesaid,  belong  to  me  the 
tenth  and  the  eighth,  with  the  salaries  and  emoluments  specified  above;  and  consider- 
ing that  we  are  mortal,  and  that  it  is  proper  for  every  one  to  settle  his  affairs,  and  to 
leave  declared  to  his  heirs  and  successors  the  property  he  possesses  or  may  have  a  right 


ORIGINAL    PAPERS    PERTAINING    TO    COLUMBUS.  I95 

to:  Wherefore,  I  have  concluded  to  create  an  entailed  estate  (mayorazgo)  out  of  the 
said  eighth  of  the  lands,  places  and  revenues,  in  the  manner  which  I  now  proceed  to 
state : 

In  the  first  place  I  am  to  be  succeeded  by  Don  Diego,  my  son,  who,  in  case  of  death 
without  children,  is  to  be  succeeded  by  my  other  son,  Ferdinand;  and  should  God  dis- 
pose of  him  also  without  leaving  children  and  without  my  having  any  other  son,  then 
my  brother,  Don  Bartholomew,  is  to  succeed;  and  after  him  his  eldest  son;  and  if  God 
should  dispose  of  him  without  heirs,  he  shall  be  succeeded  by  his  sons  from  one  to 
another  forever;  or,  in  the  failure  of  a  son,  to  be  succeeded  by  Don  Ferdinand,  after 
the  same  manner,  from  son  to  son,  successively;  or  in  their  place  by  my  brothers, 
Bartholomew  and  Diego.  And  should  it  please  the  Lord  that  the  estate,  after  having 
continued  some  time  in  the  line  of  any  of  the  above  successors,  should  stand  in  need  of 
an  immediate  and  lawful  male  heir,  the  succession  shall  then  devolve  to  the  nearest  re- 
lation, being  a  man  of  legitimate  birth  and  bearing  the  name  of  Columbus  derived  from 
his  father  and  his  ancestors.  This  entailed  estate  shall  in  nowise  be  inherited  by  a 
woman,  except  in  case  that  no  male  is  to  be  found,  either  in  this  or  any  other  quarter  of 
the  world,  of  my  real  lineage,  whose  name,  as  well  as  that  of  his  ancestors,  shall  have 
always  been  Columbus.  In  such  an  event  (which  may  God  forefend),  then  the  female 
of  legitimate  birth  most  nearly  related  to  the  preceding  possessor  of  the  estate  shall 
succeed  to  it;  and  this  is  to  be  under  the  conditions  herein  stipulated  at  foot,  which 
must  be  understood  to  extend  as  well  to  Don  Diego,  my  son,  as  to  the  aforesaid  and 
their  heirs,  every  one  of  them,  to  be  fulfilled  by  them;  and  failing  to  do  60  they  are  to 
be  deprived  of  the  succession  for  not  having  complied  with  what  shall  herein  be  ex- 
pressed; and  the  estate  to  pass  to  the  person  most  nearly  related  to  the  one  who  held 
the  right;  and  the  person  thus  succeeding  shall  in  like  manner  forfeit  the  estate, 
should  he  also  fail  to  comply  with  said  conditions;  and  another  person,  the  nearest  of 
my  lineage,  shall  succeed,  provided  he  abide  by  them,  so  that  they  may  be  observed  in 
the  form  prescribed.  This  forfeiture  is  not  to  be  incurred  for  trifling  matters,  originating' 
in  lawsuits,  but  in  important  cases,  when  the  glory  of  God,  or  my  owd,  or  that  of  my 
family  may  be  concerned,  which  supposes  a  perfect  fulfillment  of  all  the  things  hereby 
ordained;  all  which  I  recommend  to  the  Courts  of  Justice.  And  I  supplicate  His 
Holiness,  who  now  is,  and  those  who  may  succeed  to  the  holy  church,  that  if  it  should 
happen  that  this,  my  will  and  testament,  has  need  of  his  holy  order  and  command  for 
its  fulfillment,  that  such  order  be  issued  in  virtue  of  obedience  and  under  penalty  of 
excommunication,  and  that  it  shall  not  be  in  any  wise  disfigured.  And  I 
also  pray  the  King  and  Queen,  our  Sovereigns,  and  their  eldest  born,  Prince  Don  Juan, 
our  Lord,  and  their  successors,  for  the  sake  of  the  services  I  have  done  them,  and  be- 
cause it  is  just,  and  that  it  may  please  them  not  to  permit  this,  my  will  and  constitu- 
tion of  my  entailed  estate,  to  be  any  way  altered,  but  to  leave  it  in  the  form  and  man- 
ner which  I  have  ordained  forever,  for  the  greater  glory  of  the  Almighty,  and  that  it 
may  be  the  root  and  basis  of  my  lineage,  and  a  memento  of  the  services  I  have 
rendered  their  Highnesses;  that,  being  born  in  Genoa,  I  came  over  to  serve  them  in 
Castile  and  discovered  to  the  west  of  terra  firma  the  Indies  and  islands  before 
mentioned.  I  accordingly  pray  their  Highnesses  to  order  that  this,  my  privilege  and 
testament,  be  held  valid  and  be  executed  summarily,  and  without  any  opposition  or  de- 
mur, according  to  the  letter.  I  also  pray  the  grandees  of  the  realm  and  the  lords  of  the 
council,  and  all  others  having  admini8tratiorf"of  justice  to  be  pleased  not  to  suffer  this, 
nay  will  and  testament,  to  be  of  no  avail,  but  to  cause  it  to  be  fulfilled  as  by  me 
ordained;  it  being  just  that  a  noble,  who  has  served  the  King  and  Queen  and  the  king- 
dom, should  be  respected  in  the  disposition  of  his  estate  by  will,  testament,  institution 
of  entail  or  inheritance,  and  that  the  same  be  not  infringed  either  in  whole  or  in  part. 
In  the  first  place,  my  son,  Don  Diego,  and  all  my  successors  and  descendants,  as  well 


10  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

as  my  brother?,  Bartholomew  and  Diego,  shall  bear  my  arms,  such  as  1  shall  leave  them 
after  my  days,  without  inserting  anything  else  in  them;  and  they  shall  be  their  seal  to 
seal  with  all.  Don  Diego,  my  son,  or  any  other  who  may  inherit  this  estate,  on  coming 
in  possession  of  the  inheritance,  shall  sign  with  the  signature  which  I  now  make  use 
of,  which  is  an  X  with  an  S  over  it,  and  an  M  with  a  Roman  A  over  it,  and  over  that  an 
S,  and  then  a  Greek  Y,  with  an  S  over  it,  with  its  lines  and  points  as  is  my  custom,  as 
may  be  seen  by  my  signatures,  of  which  there  are  many,  and  it  will  be  seen  by  the  pres- 
ent one. 

He  shall  only  write  "The  Admiral,"  whatever  other  titles  the  King  may  have  con- 
ferred on  him.  This  is  to  be  understood  as  respects  his  signature,  but  not  the  enumer- 
ation of  his  titles,  which  he  can  make  at  full  length  if  agreeable,  only  the  signature  is 
to  be  "The  Admiral." 

The  said  Don  Diego,  or  any  other  inheritor  of  this  estate,  shall  possess  my  offices  of 
the  Admiral  of  the  Ocean,  which  is  to  the  west  of  an  imaginary  line,  which  his  high- 
ness ordered  10  be  drawn,  running  from  pole  to  pole  a  hundred  leagues  beyond  the 
Azores,  and  as  many  more  beyond  the  Cape  deYerde  Islands,over[all  of  which  I  was  made 
by  their  order,  their  Admiral  of  the  Sea,  with  all  the  pre-eminences  held  by  Don  Hen- 
rique in  the  Admiralty  of  Castile;  and  they  made  me  their  Governor,  and  Viceroy  per- 
petually and  forever,  over  all  the  islands  and  mainlands  discovered,  or  to  be  dis- 
covered, for  myself  and  heirs,  as  is  more  fully  shown  by  my  treaty  and  privilege  as 
above  mentioned. 

Item.  The  said  Don  Diego,  or  any  other  inheritor  of  this  estate,  shall  distribute 
the  revenue  which  it  may  please  our  Lord  to  grant  him,  in  the  following  manner,  under 
the  above  penalty. 

First.  Of  the  whole  income  of  this  estate,  now  and  at  all  times,  and  of  whatever  may 
be  had  or  collected  from  it,he  shall  give  the  fourth  part  of  it  to  my  brother,  Don  Bartlu  1- 
omew  Columbus,  adelantado  of  the  Indies;  and  this  is  to  continue  until  he  shall  have 
acquired  an  income  of  a  million  of  maravedises*  for  his  support,  and  for  the  services  he 
has  rendered  and  will  continue  to  render  to  this  entailed  estate;  which  million  he  is  to 
receive,  as  stated,  every  year,  if  the  said  fourth  amount  to  so  much,  and  that  he  have 
nothing  else;  but  if  he  possesses  a  part  or  the  whole  of  that  amount  in  rents,  that 
henceforth  he  shall  not  enjoy  the  said  million,  nor  any  part  of  it,  except  that  he  shall 
have  in  the  fourth  year  part  unto  the  said  quantity  of  a  million,  if  it  should  amount  to 
so  much;  and  as  much  as  he  shall  have  a  revenue  besides  this  fourth  part,  whatever  sum 
of  maravedises  of  known  rent  from  property  or  perpetual  offices,  the  said  nuantity 
of  rent  or  revenue  from  property  or  offices  shail  be  discontinued ;  and  from  said  million 
shall  be  reserved  whatever  marriage  portion  he  may  receive  with  any  female  he  may 
acquire  or  may  have  over  and  above  his  wife's  dowery;  and  when  it  shall  please  God 
that  he  or  his  heirs  and  descendants  shall  derive  from  their  property  and  offices  a  reve- 
nue of  a  million  arising  from  rents,  neither  he  nor  his  heirs  shall  enjoy  any  longer  any- 
thing from  the  said  fourth  part  of  the  entailed  estate  which  shall  remain  with  Don 
Diego,  or  who  ever  may  inherit. 

Item.  From  the  revenues  of  the  said  estate,  or  from  any  fourth  part  of  it  (should 
its  amount  be  adequate  to  it),  shall  be  paid  every  year  to  my  son  Ferdinand  two  mill- 
ions, till  such  time  as  his  revenue  shall  amount  to  two  millions,  in  the  same  form  and 
manner  as  in  the  case  of  Bartholomew,  who,  as  well  as  his  heirs,  are  to  have  the  million 
or  the  part  that  may  be  wanting. 

Item.  The  said  Don  Diego  or  Don  Bartholomew  shall  make  out  of  the  said  estate, 
for  my  brother  Di?go,  su^h  provision  as  may  enable  him  to  live  decently,  as  he  is  my 
brother,  to  whom  I  assign  no  particular  sum,  as  he  has  attached  himself  to    the  church, 

*Anpro^ima  eiy  tiirtv-nve  hundred  dollars,  equivalent  at  the  time  to  between  ten  and 
twelve  thousand  dollars. 


ORIGINAL    PAPERS    PERTAINING    TO    COLUMBUS.  I97 

and  that  will  be  given  him  which  is  right;  and  this  is  to  be  given  him  in  a  mass.and  before 
anything  shall  have  been  received  by  Ferdinand,  my  son,  or  Bartholomew,  my  brother, 
or  their  heirs;  and  also  according  to  the  amount  of  the  income  of  the  estate.  And  in 
case  of  discord,  the  case  is  to  be  referred  to  two  of  our  relations,  or  other  men  of  honor; 
and  should  they  disagree  among  themselves,  they  will  choose  a  third  person  as  arbitra- 
tor, being  virtuous  and  not  distrusted  by  either  party, 

Item.  All  this  revenue  which  I  bequeath  to  Bartholomew,  to  Ferdinand,  and  to 
Diego,  shall  be  delivered  to  and  received  by  them  as  prescribed  under  the  obligation  of 
being  faithful  and  loyal  to  Diego,  my  son,  or  his  heirs,  they  as  well  as  their  children; 
and  should  it  appear  that  they,  or  any  of  them,  had  proceeded  against  him  in  anything 
touching  his  honor,  or  the  prosperity  of  the  family  or  of  the  estate  either  in  word  or 
deed,  whereby  might  come  a  scandal  and  debasement  to  my  family,  and  a  detriment  to 
my  estate  in  that  case,  nothing  farther  shall  be  given  to  them  or  his  from  that  time 
forward,  inasmuch  as  they  are  always  to  be  faithful  to  Diego  and  his  successors.     " 

Itrni.  As  it  was  my  intention,  when  I  first  instituted  this  entailed  estate,  to  dis- 
pose, or  that  my  son  Diego  should  dispose  for  me,  of  the  tenth  part  of  the  income  in 
favor  of  the  necessitous  persons,  as  a  tithe,  and  in  commemoration  of  the  Almighty, 
and  Eternal  God;  and  persisting  still  in  this  opinion,  and  hoping  that  his  High  Majesty 
will  assist  me,  and  those  who  may  inherit  it,  in  this  or  the  New  World,  I  have  resolved 
that  the  said  tithe  shall  be  paid  in  the  manner  following : 

First.  It  is  to  be  understood  that  the  fourth  part  of  the  revenue  of  the  estate  which  I 
have  ordained  and  directed  to  be  given  to  Don  Bartholomew,  until  he  have  an  income 
of  one  million,  includes  the  tenth  of  the  whole  revenue  of  the  estate;  and  that,  as  in  pro- 
portion as  the  income  of  my  brother  Don  Bartholomew  shall  increase,  as  it  has  to  be 
discounted  from  the  revenue  of  the  fourth  part  of  the  entailed  estate,  that  the  said  reve- 
nue shall  be  calculated,  to  know  how  much  the  tenth  part  amounts  to;  and  the  part 
which  exceeds  what  is  necessary  to  make  up  the  million  for  Don  Bartholomew  shall  be 
received  by  each  of  my  family  as  may  most  stand  in  need  of  it,  discounting  it  from  the 
said  tenth,  if  their  income  do  not  amount  to  the  fifty  thousand  maravedises;  and  should 
any  of  these  come  to  have  an  income  to  this  amount,  such  a  part  shall  be  awarded  to 
them  as  two  persons,  chosen  for  the  purpose,  may  determine  along  with  Don  Diego  or 
his  heirs.  Thus,  it  is  to  be  understood  that  the  million  which  I  leave  to  Bartholomew 
comprehends  the  tenth  of  the  whole  revenue  of  the  estate;  which  revenue  is  to  be  dis- 
tributed among  my  nearest  and  most  needy  relations  in  the  manner  I  have  directed;  and 
when  Don  Bartholomew  has  an  income  of  one  million,  and  that  nothing  more  shall  be 
due  to  him  on  account  of  said  fourth  part,  then  Don  Diego,  my  son,  or  the  persons  which 
I  shall  herein  point  out,  shall  inspect  the  accounts  and  so  direct  that  the  tenth  of  the 
revenue  shall  still  continue  to  be  paid  to  the  most  necessitous  members  of  my  family 
that  may  be  found  in  this  or  any  other  quarter  of  the  world,  who  shall  diligently  be 
sought  out;  and  they  are  to  be  paid  out  of  the  fourth  part  from  which  Don  Bartholo- 
mew is  to  derive  his  million,  which  sums  are  to  be  taken  into  account,  and  deducted 
from  th3  said  tenth,  which,  should  it  amount  to  more,  the  overplus,  as  it  arises  from 
the  fourth  part,  shall  be  given  to  to  the  most  necessitous  persons  as  aforesaid;  and 
should  it  not  be  sufficient,  that  Don  Bartholomew  shall  have  it  until  his  own  estate 
goes  on  increasing,  leaving  the  said  million  in  part  or  in  the  whole. 

Item.  The  said  Don  Diego,  my  son,  or  whoever  may  be  the  inheritor,  shall  appoint 
two  persons  of  conscience  and  authority,  and  most  nearly  related  to  the  family  who  are 
to  examine  the  revenue  and  its  amount  carefully,  and  to  cause  the  tenth  to  be  paid  out 
of  the  fourth  from  which  Don  Bartholomew  is  to  receive  his  million  to  his  most  neces- 
sitous members  of  my  family  who  may  be  found  here  or  elsewhere,  whom  they  shall 
look  for  diligently  upon  their  consciences;  and  as  it  might  happen  that  said  Don  Diego 
or  otbar s  after  him,  for  reasons  which  may  concern  their  own  welfare,  or  the  credit  or 


THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

support  of  the  estate,  may  be  unwilling  to  make  known  the  full  amount  of  the  income* 
nevertheless  I  charge  him  on  his  conscience  to  pay  the  sum  aforesaid  and  charge  them 
on  their  souls  and  consciences  not  to  denounce  or  make  it  known,  except  with  the  con- 
sent of  Don  Diego,  or  the  person  that  may  bucceed  him,  but  let  the  above  tithe  be  paid 
in  the  manner  I  have  directed. 

Item.  In  order  to  avoid  all  disputes  in  the  choice  of  the  two  nearest  relations  who 
are  to  act  with  Don  Diego  or  his  heirs,  I  hereby  elect  Don  Baitholomew,  my  brother, 
for  one,  and  Don  Fernando,  my  son,  for  the  other;  and  when  these  two  shall  enter  upon 
the  business  they  shall  choose  two  other  persons  among  the  most  trusty,  and  most 
nearly  related,  and  these  again  shall  elect  two  others,  when  it  shall  be  question  of  com- 
mencing the  examination;  and  thus  it  shall  be  managed  with  diligence  from  one  to  the 
other,  as  well  in  this  as  in  the  other  of  government,  for  the  service  and  glory  of  God, 
and  the  benefit  of  the  said  entailed  estate. 

Item.  I  also  enjoin  Diego,  or  any  one  that  may  inherit  the  estate,  to  have  and  main- 
tain in  the  city  of  Genoa  one  person  of  our  lineage  to  reside  there  with  his  wife,  and 
appoint  him  a  sufficient  revenue  to  enable  him  to  live  decently,  as  a  person  closely 
connected  with  the  family,  of  which  he  is  to  be  the  root  and  basis  in  that  city;  from 
which  great  good  may  accrue  to  him,  inasmuch  as  I  was  born  there,  and  came  from 
them  thence. 

Item.  The  said  Don  Diego,  or  whoever  shall  inherit  the  estate,  must  remit  in  bills, 
or  in  any  other  way,  all  such  sums  as  he  may  be  able  to  save  out  of  the  revenue  of  the 
estate,  and  direct  purchases  to  be  made  in  his  name,  or  that  of  his  heirs,  in  a  fund  in 
the  Bank  of  St.  George,*  which  gives  an  interest  of  six  per  cent,  and  is  secure  money; 
and  this  shall  be  devoted  to  the  purpose  I  am  about  to  explain. 

Item.  As  it  becomes  every  man  of  rank  and  property  to  serve  God,  either  personally 
or  by  means  of  his  wealth,  and  as  all  moneys  deposited  w.th  St.  George  are  quite  safe, 
and  Genoa  is  a  noble  city  and  powerful  by  the  sea,  and  as  at  the  same  time  that  I  un- 
dertook to  set  out  upon  that  discovery  of  the  Indies,  it  was  with  the  intention  of  sup- 
plicating the  King  and  Queen,  our  lords,  that  whatever  moneys  should  be  derived  from 
the  said  Indies  should  be  invested  in  the  conquest  of  Jerusalem;  and  as  I  did  so  sup- 
plicate them;  if  they  do  this,  it  will  be  well;  if  not,  at  all  events  the  said  Diego,  or  such 
persons  as  may  succeed  him  in  this  trust,  to  collect  together  all  the  money  he  can,  and 
accompany  the  King,  our  lord,  should  he  go  to  the  conquest  of  Jerusalem,  or  else  go 
there  himself  with  all  the  force  he  can  command;  and  in  pursuing  this  intention,  it 
will  please  the  Lord  to  assist  toward  the  accomplishment  of  the  plan;  and  should  he 
not  be  able  to  effect  the  conquest  of  the  whole,  no  doubt  he  will  achieve  in  part.  Let 
him  therefore  collect  and  make  a  fund  of  all  h:s  wealth  in  St.  George  in  Genoa,  and 
let  it  multiply  there  until  6uch  time  as  it  may  appear  to  him  that  something  of  conse- 
quence may  be  effected  as  respects  the  project  on  Jerusalem;  fori  believe  that  when 
their  highnesses  shall  see  that  this  is  contemplated,  they  will  wish  to  realize  it  them- 
selves, or  will  afford  him,  as  their  servant  and  vassal,  the  means  of  doing  it  for  them. 

Item.  I  charge  my  son  Diego  and  my  descendants,  especially  whoever  may  inherit 
this  estate,  which  consists,  as  aforesaid,  of  the  tenth  of  whatsoever  may  be  had  or 
found  in  the  Indies,  and  the  eighth  part  of  the  lands  and  rents,  all  which,  together  with 
my  rights  and  emoluments  as  admiral,  viceroy  and  governor,  amount  to  more  than 
twenty-five  per  cent.,  I  say,  that  I  require  of  him  to  employ  all  this  revenue,  as  well  as 
his  person,  and  all  the  means  in  his  power,  in  well  and  faithfully  serving  and  support- 
ing their  highnesses,  or  their  successors,  even  to  the  loss  of  life  and  property;  since  it 
was  their  highnesses,  next  to  God,  who. first  gave  the  means  of  getting  and  achieving 
this  property,  although,  it  is  true,  I  came  ov^r  these  realms  to  invite  them  to  the  enter- 
prise, and  that  a  long  time  elapsed  before  any  provision  was  made  for  carrying  it  into- 

*  The  great  financial  corporation  of  Genoa. 


ORIGINAL    PAPERS    PERTAINING    TO    COLUMBUS.  1 99 

execution;  which,  however,  is  not  surprising,  as  this  was  an  undertaking  of  which  all 
the  world  was  ignorant,  and  no  one  had  any  faith  in  it;  wherefore,  I  am  by  so  much 
more  indebted  to  them,  as  well  as  because  they  have  since  also  much  favored  and 
promoted  me.  % 

Item.  I  also  require  of  Diego,  or  whosoever  may  be  in  possession  of  the  estate,  that 
in  the  case  of  any  schism  taking  place  in  the  church  of  God,  or  that  any  person  of  what- 
ever class  or  condition  should  attempt  to  despoil  it  of  its  property  and  honors  they 
hasten  to  offer  at  the  feet  of  his  Holiness,  that  is,  if  they  are  not  heretics  (which  God 
forbid),  their  persons,  power  and  wealth,  for  the  purpose  of  suppressing  such  schism, 
and  preventing  any  spoliation  of  the  honor  and  property  of  the  church. 

Item.  I  command  the  said  Diego,  or  whoever  may  possess  the  said  estate,  to  labor 
and  strive  for  the  honor,  welfare  and  aggrandizement  of  the  city  of  Genoa,  and  to  make 
use  of  all  his  power  and  means  in  defending  end  enhancing  the  good  and  credit  of  that 
republic,  in  all  things  not  contrary  to  the  service  of  the  church  of  God,  or  the  high 
dignity  of  the  King  and  Queen,  our  lords  and  their  successors. 

Item.  The  said  Diego,  or  whoever  may  possess  or  succeed  to  the  estate,  out  of  the 
fourth  part  of  the  whole  revenue,  from  which,  as  aforesaid,  is  to  be  taken  a  tenth,  when 
Don  Bartholomew  or  his  heirs  shall  have  saved  the  two  millions,  or  part  of  them,  and 
when  the  time  shall  come  of  making  a  distribution  among  our  relations,  shall  apply 
and  invest  the  said  tenth  in  providing  marriages  for  such  daughters  of  our  lineage  as 
may  require  it,  and  in  doing  all  the  good  in  their  power. 

Item.  When  a  suitable  time  shall  arrive,  he  shall  order  a  church  to  be  built  in  the 
island  of  Espanola,  and  in  the  most  convenient  spot,  to  be  called  Santa  Maria  de  la 
Concepcion;  to  which  is  to  be  annexed  an  hospital,  upon  the  best  possible  plan,  like 
those  of  Italy  and  Castile,  and  a  chapel  be  erected  to  say  mass  in  for  the  good  of  my 
6oul,  and  those  of  my  ancestors  and  successors  with  great  devotion,  since  no  doubt  it 
will  please  the  Lord  to  give  us  a  sufficient  revenue  for  this  and  the  afore-mentioned  pur- 
poses. 

Item.  I  also  order  Diego  my  son,  or  whosoever  may  inherit  after  him,  to  spare  no 
pains  in  having  and  maintaining  in  the  island  of  Espanola,  four  good  professors  in 
theology,  to  the  end  and  aim  of  their  studying  and  laboring  to  convert  to  our  holy 
faith  the  inhabitants  of  the  Indies;  and  in  proportion  as  by  God's  will  the  revenue  of 
the  estate  shall  increase  in  the  same  degree  shall  the  number  of  teachers  and  devout 
persons  increase,  who  are  to  strive  to  make  Christians  of  the  natives;  in  attaining 
which  no  expense  should  be  thought  too  great.  And  in  commemoration  of  all  that  I 
hereby  ordain,  and  of  the  foregoing,  a  monument  of  marble  shall  be  erected  in  the  said 
church  of  La  Concepcion,  in  the  most  conspicuous  place,  to  serve  as  a  record  of  what 
I  here  enjoin  on  the  said  Diego,  as  well  as  to  other  persons  who  may  look  upon  it; 
which  marble  shall  contain  an  inscription  to  the  same  effect. 

Item.  I  also  require  of  Diego,  my  son,  and  whosoever  may  succeed  him'in  the  estate, 
that  every  time,  and  as  often  as  he  confesses,  he  first  show  his  obligation,  or  a  copy  of 
it,  to  the  confessor,  praying  him  to  read  it  through,  that  he  may  be  enabled  to  inquire 
respecting  its  fulfillment;  from  which  will  redound  great  good  and  happiness  to  his 
soul. 

S. 
S.  A.  S. 
X.  M.  Y. 
El  Almirante. 
936.     Memorandum  submitted  by  Christopher  Columbus  to  the  council  of  the 
Indies  concerning  his  arrest  and  imprisonment,  and  declaring  his  inno- 
cence of  the  charges. 


200  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

937.  Letter  from  Christopher  Columbus  to  the  Pope  of  Rome. 

Dated  February,  1502. 

938.  Letter  from  the  sovereigns  of  Spain  to  Christopher  Columbus,  contain- 

ing instructions  concerning  his  fourth  voyage. 
Dated  Valencia  de  la  Torre,  March  19,  1502. 

939.  Letter  of  Christopher  Columbus  to  his  son  Diego. 

November  21,  1504. 

940.  Letter  of  Christopher  Columbus  to  his  son  Diego. 

November  28,  1504. 

941.  Letter  of  Christopher  Columbus  to  his  son  Diego. 

December  1,  1504. 

942.  Letter  of  Christopher  Columbus  to  his  son  Diego. 

December  3,  1504. 

943.  Letter  of  Christopher  Columbus  to  his  son  Diego. 

December  13,  1504. 

944.  Letter  of  Christopher  Columbus  to  his  son  Diego. 

December  21,  1504. 

945.  Letter  of  Christopher  Columbus  to  his  son  Diego. 

December  29,  1504. 

946.  Letter  of  Christopher  Columbus  to  his  son  Diego. 

January  18,  1505. 

947.  Letter  of  Christopher  Columbus  to  his  son  Diego. 

February  5,  1505. 

948.  Letter  of  Christopher  Columbus  to  his  son  Diego. 

February  5,  1505. 

949.  Memorial  of  Christopher  Columbus  to  the  sovereigns  of  Spain  in  behalf 

of  his  son  Diego. 

950.  Letter  from   Christopher  Columbus   to   the    Rev..  Father  Don  Gaspar 

Gorricio  de  las  Cuevas. 
April  4, 1502. 

951.  Letter  of  Christopher  Columbus  to  the  Rev.  Father  Don  Gaspar  Gorri- 

cio de  las  Cuevas. 
September  4,  1502. 

952.  Letter  from  Christopher  Columbus  to  the   Rev.    Father    Don    Gaspar 

Gorricio  de  las  Cuevas. 
July  7,  1503. 

953.  Letter  from  Christopher  Columbus  to   the    Rev.    Father    Don  Gaspar 

Gorricio  de  las  Cuevas. 
January  4,  1505. 


ORIGINAL    PAPERS    PERTAINING    TO    COLUMBUS.  201 

954.  Letters  from  King  Ferdinand  Vto  Diego  Columbus. 

Dated  Naples,  November  26,  1506. 

955.  Copy  of  the  will  of  Diego  Hernandez,  who  accompanied   Christopher 

Columbus  on  several  of  his  voyages. 

This  document  contains  important  evidence  submitted  by  the  heirs  of 
Columbus  to  sustain  their  claims  against  the  crown  of  Spain. 

95G.     Commission  as  admiral  of  the  Indies. 

Granted  to  Don  Luis,  the  grandson  of  Christopher  Columbus. 
Dated  May  24,  1537. 

957.     Commission  as  adelantado  mayor  of  the  Indies.       Granted  by  the  sov- 
ereigns of  Spain  to  Diego  Columbus. 
Dated  Valladolid,  June  16,  1515. 

978.     Confirmation   by  the   sovereigns   of  Spain  of  the  title  given  to  Chris- 
topher Columbus  as  admiral  and  perpetual  viceroy  of  the  Indies. 
April  24,  1497. 

959.     Fac-simile  of  a  letter  of  Columbus  to  Ferdinand  and  Isabella  concerning 
the  colonization  and  commerce  of  the  Island  of  Hispaniola. 

Written  between  July  5  and  September  25,  1493,  before  starting  on  his 
second  voyage. 
Most  High  and  Mighty  Sovereigns:* 

In  obedience  to  Your  Highnesses'  commands,  and  with  submission  to  superior  judg- 
ment, I  will  say  whatever  occurs  to  me  in  reference  to  the  colonization  and  commerce 
of  the  island  of  Hispaiiola,  and  of  the  other  islands,'  both  those  already  discovered  and 
those  that  may  be  discovered  hereafter. 

In  the  first  place,  as  regards  the  island  of  Hispanola:  Inasmuch  as  the  number  of 
colonists  who  desire  to  go  thither  amounts  to  two  thousand,  owing  to  the  land  being 
safer  and  better  for  farming  and  trading,  and  because  it  will  serve  as  a  place  to  which 
they  can  return  and  from  which  they  can  carry  on  trade  with  the  neighboring  islands. 

Item.  That  in  the  said  island  there  shall  be  founded  three  or  four  towns,  situated  in 
the  most  convenient  places,  and  that  the  settlers  who  are  there  be  assigned  to  the  afore- 
said places  and  towns. 

Item.  That  for  the  better  and  more  speedy  colonization  of  the  said  island,  no  one 
shall  have  liberty  to  collect  gold  in  it  except  those  who  have  taken  out  colonists'  papers 
and  have  built  houses  for  their  abode,  in  the  town  in  which  they  are,  that  they  may  live 
united  and  in  greater  safety. 

Item.  That  each  town  shall  have  its  alcalde  or  alcaldes,  and  its  notary  public,  as  is 
the  use  and  custom  in  Castile. 

Item.  That  there  shall  be  a  church,  and  parish  priests  or  friars  to  administer  the  sac- 
raments, to  perform  divine  worship,  and  for  the  conversion  of  the  Indians. 


*This  letter  has  been  assigned  to  the  year  1497,  but  the  internal  evidence  indicates  that 
it  was  written  before  Columbus  sailed  on  his  second  voyage,  as  the  number  of  colonists 
he  speaks  of  as  wishing  to  go  agrees  with  the  statements  as  to  the  size  of  the  second 
expedition.  This  fixes  the  date  between  July  1st  and  September  25,  1493.  It  is  thus 
the  first  suggestion  of  a  code  of  American  laws. 


202  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

Item.  That  none  of  the  colonists  shall  go  to  seek  gold  without  a  license  from  the 
governor  or  alcalde  of  the  town  where  he  lives;  and  that  he  must  first  take  oath  to 
return  to  the  place  whence  he  sets  out,  for  the  purpose  of  registering  faithfully  all  the 
gold  he  may  have  found,  and  to  return  once  a  month,  or  once  a  week,  as  the  time  may 
have  been  set  for  him,  to  render  account  and  show  the  quantity  of  said  gold;  and  that 
this  shall  be  written,  done  by  the  notary  before  the  alcalde,  or,  if  it  seems  better,  that  a 
friar  or  a  priest,  deputied  for  the  purpose,  shall  also  be  present. 

Item.  That  the  gold  thus  brought  in  shall  be  smelted  immediately,  and  stamped  with 
some  mark  that  shall  distinguish  each  town;  and  that  the  portion  which  belongs  to 
Your  Highnesses  shall  be  weighed,  and  given  and  consigned  to  each  alcalde  in  his  oWn 
town,  and  registered  by  the  above-mentioned  priest  or  friar,  so  that  it  shall  not  pass 
through  the  hands  of  only  one  person,  and  there  shall  be  no  opportunity  to  conceal  the 
truth. 

Item.  That  all  gold  that  may  be  found  without  the  mark  of  one  of  the  said  towns  in 
the  possession  of  any  one  who  has  once  registered  in  accordance  with  the  above  order, 
shall  be  taken  as  forfeited,  and  that  the  accuser  shall  have  one  portion  of  it  and  Your 
Highnesses  the  other. 

Item.  That  one  per  centum  of  all  the  gold  that  may  be  found  shall  be  set  aside  for 
building  churches  and  adorning  the  same,  and  for  the  support  of  the  priests  or  friars 
belonging  to  them;  and,  if  it  should  be  thought  proper  to  pay  anything  to  the  alcaldes 
or  notaries  for  their  services,  or  for  insuring  the  faithful  performance  of  their  duties,, 
that  this  amount  shall  be  sent  to  the  governor  or  treasurer  who  may  be  appointed  there 
by  Your  Highnesses. 

Item.  As  regards  the  division  of  the  gold,  and  the  share  that  ought  t6  be  reserved 
for  Your  Highnesses,  this,  in  my  opinion,  must  be  left  to  the  aforesaid  governor  and  treas- 
urer, because  it  will  have  to  be  greater  or  less,  according  to  the  quantity  of  gold  that 
may  be  found.  Or,  should  it  seem  preferable,  Your  Highnesses  might,  for  the  space  of 
one  year,  take  one-half,  and  the  collector  the  other,  and  a  better  arrangement  for  the 
division  be  made  afterward. 

Item.  That  if  the  said  alcaldes  or  notaries  shall  commit  or  be  privy  to  any  fraud, 
punishment  shall  be  prqvided;  and  the  same  for  the  colonists  who  shall  not  have 
declared  all  the  gold  they  have. 

Item.  That  in  the  said  island  there  shall  be  a  treasurer,  with  a  clerk  to  assist  him 
who  shall  receive  all  the  goM  belonging  to  Your  Highnesses,  and  the  alcaldes  and  nota- 
ries of  the  towns  shall  each  keep  a  record  of  what  they  deliver  to  the  said  treasurer. 

Item.  As,  in  the  eagerness  to  get  gold,  every  one  will  wish,  naturally,  to  engage  in  its 
search  in  preference  to  any  other  employment,  it  seems  to  me  that  the  privilege  of  going 
to  look  for  gold  ought  to  be  withheld  during  some  portion  of  each  year,  that  there  may 
be  opportunity  to  have  the  other  business  necessary  for  the  island  performed. 

Item.  In  regard  to  the  discovery  of  new  countries,  I  think  permission  should  be 
to  all  that  wish  to  go,  and  more  liberality  used  in  the  matter  of  the  fifth,  making  the 
tax  easier,  in  some  way,  in  order  that  many  may  be  disposed  to  go  on  the  voyage. 

I  will  now  give  my  opinion  about  ships  going  to  the  said  island  of  Espanola,  and  the 
order  that  should  be  maintained;  and  that  is,  that  the  said  ships  should  only  be  allowed 
to  discharge  in  one  or  two  ports  designated  for  the  purpose,  and  should  register  there 
whatever  cargo  they  bring  or  unload;  and  when  the  time  for  their  departure  comes,  that 
they  should  sail  from  these  same  ports,  and  register  all  the  cargo  they  take  in,  that  noth- 
ing may  be  concealed. 

Item.  In  reference  to  the  transportation  of  gold  from  the  island  to  Castile,  that  all 
of  it  should  be  taken  on  board  the  ship,  both  that  belonging  to  Your  Highnesses  and  the 
property  of  every  one  else;  that  it  should  all  be  placed  in  one  chest  with  two  locks,  with 
their  keys,  and  that  the  master  of  the  vessel  keep  one  key,  and  some  person  selected  by 


ORIGINAL    PAPERS    PERTAINING    TO    COLUMBUS.  203 

the  governor  and  treasurer  the  other;  that  there  should  come  with  th«  gold,  for  a  testi- 
mony, a  list  of  all  that  has  been  put  into  the  said  chest,  properly  marked,  so  that  each 
owner  may  receive  his  own;  and  that,  for  the  faithful  performance  of  this  duty,  if  any 
gold  whatsoever  is  found  outside  of  the  said  chest  in  any  way,  be  it  little  or  much,  it 
shall  be  forfeited  to  Your  Highnesses. 

Item.  That  all  the  ships  that  come  from  the  said  island  shall  be  obliged  to  make  their 
proper  discharge  in  the  port  of  Cadiz,  and  that  no  person  shall  disembark  or  other  per- 
son be  permitted  to  go  on  board  until  the  ship  has  been  visited  by  the  person  or  persons 
deputied  for  that  purpose,  in  the  said  city,  by  Your  Highnesses,  to  whom  the  master 
shall  show  all  that  he  carries,  and  exhibit  the  manifest  of  all  the  cargo,  that  it  may  be 
seen  and  examined  if  the  said  ship  brings  anything  hidden  and  not  known  at  the  time 
of  lading. 

Item.  That  the  chest  in  which  the  said  gold  has  been  carried  shall  be  opened  in  the 
presence  of  the  magistrates  of  the  said  city  of  Cadiz,  and  of  the  person  deputied  for 
that  purpose  by  Your  Highnesses,  and  his  own  property  be  given  to  each  owner.  I  beg 
Your  Highnesses  to  hold  me  in  your  protection,  and  I  remain,  praying  our  Lord  God 
for  Your  Highnesses'  lives  and  the  increase  of  much  greater  states, 

S. 

S.  A.  S. 

X.   M.   Y 

Xpo  FERENS. 

980.     Carved  wooden  case  in  which  the  Duke  of  Veragua  preserves  the  man- 
uscripts of  Columbus  belonging  to  his  collection. 


204  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 


SECTION  P.     ORIGINAL    PAPERS   PERTAINING  TO  COLUMBUS. 
LOANED    BY    THE  DUQUESA   DE  BERWICK  Y  ALBA* 


967.  Original  draft  of  letter  of  Columbus  relating  to  his  claims  against  the 
crown  of  Spain,  based  upon  the  privileges  and  concessions  granted 
to  him  by  the  contract  with  the  Spanish  sovereigns,  Ferdinand  and 
Isabella. 

Columbus'   autographic  copy  of   a   paper,  on   the  back    of  which   he 
wrote  the  following  words: 

"Report  on  my  privileges  and  concessions. 

Jhs  cumas.  t  no  .     .     .     " 

(Jesus  cum  Mari  sit  nobis  in  vita, 

or  in  English; 

May  Jesus  and  Mary  be  with  us  in  life.) 

[Translation.] 
Magnificent  Sirs: 
It  appears  from  your  privilege  and  the  articles  of  agreement  entered  into  with  yon, 
that  their  Highnesses  appointed  you  Admiral  of  the  Ocean  Seas,  which  they  denned  by 
causing  a  line  to  be  drawn  from  pole  to  pole,  crossing  the  Cape  Verde  Islands  and  the 
Azores,  and  that  they  granted  to  you  exactly  the  same  rights,  honors,  and  favors  as  are 
enjoyed  by  the  Lord  Admiral  of  Castile  within  his  own  district. 

Item.  They  graciously  appointed  you  also  Viceroy  and  Governor-General  of  all  the 
islands  and  continents,  whether  already  discovered  or  to  be  discovered,  on  the  other 
side  of  the  line  aforesaid,  and  they  granted  you  the  power  to  appoint  all  the  officers  who 
should  be  required  for  the  administration  of  the  government  of  the  said  islands  and 
continents. 

Item.  They  also  gave  you  the  tenth  of  everything  received  from  the  district  subject  to 
your  jurisdiction  as  Admiral,  after  deducting  the  expenses. 

Item.  They  gave  you,  likewise,  the  eighth  of  all  the  profits  made  out  of  expeditions, 
or  fleets  sent  to  the  Indies,  to  the  equipment  of  which  you  had  contributed  by  paying 
one-eighth  of  the  expenses. 

It  appears  from  the  acts  of  confirmation  of  your  privileges  that  you  are  the  discoverer 
of  the  islands  and  continents  of  the  Indies.  If  anything  is  now  discovered  there,  it  will  be 
owing  to  you  and  your  industry,  and  can  not  properly  be  called  discovery.  You  are  the 
one  who  discovered  the  Indies,  in  spite  of  the  doubts  which  were  raised  about  their  exist- 
ence, and  of  the  great  opposition  raised  against  you  both  by  men  of  learning,  and  by 
people  of  practical  knowledge  in  navigation  and  matters  connected  with  the  sea,  who 
all  said  that  you  were  joking  and  that  God  had  never  placed  any  land  where  you  said. 
Whoever  goes  now  to  the  Indies,  even  if  he  goes  to  places  where  you  never  set  your  foot, 
can  not  as  against  you  be  called  a  discoverer,  for  he  only  goes  to  a  district  which  is 
already  under  your  jurisdiction  as  Admiral,  and  enters  seas  or  lands  which  were  discov- 
ered by  you.  Under  these  circumstances,  your  rights  and  authority  as  Admiral  and  Viceroy 

♦These  documents  were  loaned  by  the  Duchess  of  Berwick-Alba  at  the  request  of  the  presi- 
dent of  the  United  States  under  the  authority  of  congress. 


ORIGINAL    PAPERS    PERTAINING    TO    COLUMBUS.  205 

and  Governor-General,  and  your  power  to  make  appointments  for  all  offices,  are  to  be 
exercised  in  and  over  the  whdle  district,  whether  in  land  or  on  the  sea,  whether  already 
traveled  or  to  be  traveled  hereafter,  on  the  other  side  of  the  line  which  has  been  men- 
tioned before.  Beyond  that  line  you  are  the  only  one  having  authority  to  attend  in  the 
name  of  their  Highnesses  to  all  the  business  of  the  Government,  to  hear  and  decide  all 
cases  and  causes,  to  affix  the  Royal  Seal  entrusted  to  you  for  6uch  purposes,  to  all  let- 
ters patent  to  be  issued  there,  to  administer  justice  in  civil  and  criminal  matters,  and 
to  have  and  exercise  full  power  and  jurisdiction  in  everything-  relative  to  the  adminis- 
tration of  said  Government,  as  more  in  full  described  in  the  ordinances  and  letters  of 
concession  and  privileges  which  I  have  examined. 

It  appears,  furthermore,  that  by  a  Royal  letter  of  1497,  issued  at  Medina,  their  High- 
nesses freed  you  from  sharing  the  expenses  incurred  up  to  that  date  on  account  of  this 
business,  and  exempted  you  also  from  contributing  toward  defraying  the  expenses 
of  the  expedition  which  was  then  being  equipped,  and  you  had  to  take  to  the  Indies. 
The  said  Royal  letter  says  that  you  are  bound  to  pay  nothing  on  this  account,  except  in 
case  of  expenses  incurred  subsequent  to  your  arrival  to  Hispaniola.  You  are  free  from 
paying  expenses  prior  to  that  moment ;  but  you  can  not,  either,  demand  anything  out 
of  what  was  brought  here  during  the  same  period. 

As  you  admit  to  having  arrived  there  on  the  31st  of  August,  1489,  a  liquidation  must 
be  made  of  all  the  expenses  incurred  ever  since,  and  you  shall  be  bound  to  contribute 
such  portion  thereof  as  has  been  agreed  upon. 

From  the  agreements  entered  into  with  the  Lord  Admiral  of  Castile,  it  appears  that 
he  is  entitled  to  one-third  of  all  the  profits  made  on  the  sea,  either  by  him  or  their 
Highnesses'  navy.  Whereupon,  under  your  own  letters  of  concession,  which  gave  you 
exactly  the  same  rights  and  privileges  as  are  given  the  Lord  Admiral  of  Castile,  you  are 
entitled  to  a  third  of  the  profits. 

It  appears  from  the  agreements  entered  into  with  you  in  regard  to  the  share  you 
ought  to  have  out  of  the  profits  made  and  to  be  made  in  this  business  of  the  Indies,  that 
the  said  share  belongs  to  you  under  three  different  considerations  and  for  three  different 
reasons.  Your  share  under  each  head  is  clearly  6tated,  and  there  is  no  possibility  of 
error  or  misunderstanding  in  this  respect.  The  liquidation  of  the  profit  is  simply  a 
matter  of  arithmetic,  as  in  the  following  example : 

A  man  fits  out  a  vessel  and  says  to  one  of  his  servants:  I  make  you  master  of  this 
vessel;  go,  and  you  shall  have  one-third  of  all  the  profits.  Then  he  calls  another  serv- 
ant and  says  to  him:  Go  on  board  the  vessel  to  be  the  purser  and  you  shall  have  the 
tenth.  Finally  he  calls  a  third  servant  and  tells  him:  Go  as  a  clerk,  and  whereas  you 
have  contributed  one-eighth  of  the  expenses  you  shall  have  also  the  eighth  part  of  the 
profits. 

The  vessel  sailed,  and  on  her  return  it  was  found  out  that  the  profits  amounted  to  ten 
ducats.  The  master  says  then  to  the  man  who  fitted  out  the  vessel :  "  Sir,  the  profits 
amount  to  ten  ducats,  order  the  third  part  of  that  sum  to  be  given  to  me  as  promised," 
and  so  he  ordered.  Then  comes  the  purser  and  says  :  "  Sir,  the  profits  were  ten  ducats ; 
order  a  tenth  of  that  sum  to  be  given  to  me  as  promised,"  and  so  he  ordered.  Finally 
the  clerk  comes  and  says :  "  Sir,  I  contributed  one-eighth  of  the  expenses  to  fit  out  this 
vessel ;  the  profits  made  by  her  are  ten  ducats ;  cause  one-eighth  of  these  ten  ducats  to 
be  given  to  me,"  and  so  he  did. 

An  account  like  this  is  to  be  made  to  liquidate  the  share  which,  under  the  concessions 
made  in  your  favor  in  this  business  of  the  Indies,  belongs  to  you.  It  would  be  wrong 
to  give  you  the  tenth  of  the  whole,  and  then  the  eighth  of  the  balance  not  of  the  "whole, 
and  then  the  third  of  the  second  balance,  and  not  also  of  the  whole.  Such  a  manner  of 
making  the  calculation  would  be  unacceptable,  as  each  chapter  or  heading  clearly  fixes 
the  portion  which  under  it  must  be  paid  to  you. 


206  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

In  regard  to  the  expenses  my  opinion  is  that  as  our  Lord  has  given  enough  in  this 
business  to  pay  amply  all  those  which  have  been  incurred,  you  might  as  well  be  satis- 
fied with  seeing  them  paid,  if  so  pleases  their  Highnesses,  out  of  the  gold  or  anything 
else  of  value  which  may  be  found  there,  and  with  having  your  share  of  the  profits  paid 
to  you  by  their  Highnesses  out  of  the  net  balance. 

I  have  noticed  that  your  deeds  contain  a  provision,  made  by  their  Highnesses,  order- 
ing that  nothing  must  be  done  in  regard  to  the  Indies  without  your  personal  interven- 
tion or  the  intervention  of  a  person  having  your  power  of  attorney. 

I  have  also  noticed  another  provision  under  which  nothing  can  be  sent  to  the  Indies 
without  your  signature  and  the  signature  of  the  person  appointed  at  Cadiz  for  such  pur- 
poses by  their  Highnesses,  nor  can  anything  brought  from  the  Indies  be  received  here 
without  the  signature  both  of  the  said  person  and  of  the  deputy  comptroller. 

I  have  seen  also  a  bull  of  the  Holy  Father  which  is  on  file  among  your  papers, 
which  states  that  you  were  and  are  the  one  who  discovered  and  won  those  Indies  as  a 
servant  of  their  Highnesses^ 

From  all  your  letters  of  privileges  and  concessions  it  appears,  as  already  stated,  that 
you  must  have  by  reason  of  your  rights,  equal  to  those  of  the  Lord  Admiral  of  Castile, 
one-third  of  everything  obtained  within  the  limits  placed  under  your  jurisdiction  as 
Admiral  of  the  Ocean  Sea,  and  by  reason  of  your  other  concessions  the  eighth  and  the 
tenth  of  the  same.  If  their  Highnesses  make  some  other  concessions  in  the  Indies 
without  saying  what  is  yours  a  wrong  will  be  inflicted  upon  you,  and  this  wrong  will 
be  done  whether  the  new  concession  applies  to  money  matters  or  in  regard  to  the  right 
of  making  appointments,  or  whether  it  concerns  so-called  new  discoveries  or  not.  The 
discovery  of  the  Indies  was,  as  above  stated,  the  basis  and  the  consideration  upon 
which  the  agreements  were  made  and  entered  into  with  you  and  executed  and  signed, 
and  as  soon  as  you  discovered  the  first  island  you  discovered  the  Indies,  and  your  part 
of  the  contract  was  fulfilled.  It  was  then  that  the  Indies  were  given  to  their  High- 
nesses by  the  bull  of  donation  issued  by  the  Pope. 

Their  Highnesses  are  in  conscience  bound  to  imdemnify  you  for  all  damages  which 
any  deprivation  of  your  rights  may  cause  you  to  sustain. 

Gentlemen,  I  ask  for  nothing,  and  I  place  into  the  royal  hands  of  the  Queen  and 
refer  to  her  all  that  is  stated  in  the  foregoing  writing.  1  shall  show  to  your  lordships 
my  titles  and  letters  of  privilege  whenever  desired. 

Another  privilege  which  I  have  seen  in  your  papers  granted  to  you  is  the  power  to 
convey  your  office  of  Viceroy  and  Admiral  and  Governor-General  and  all  your  property 
unto  Don  Diego,  your  son,  or  unto  whomsoever  you  may  be  pleased,  and  that  none  of 
the  said  offices  and  nothing  of  the  said  property  can  ever  be  taken  away,  whether  for 
debts  or  criminal  offence,  unless  the  latter  is  a  crime  lessae  majestatis. 

968,  Original  autographic  statement  by  Columbus  of  gold  brought  from 
America  and  sold  by  him  in  Castile,  with  fac-simile  and  translation 
in  M  Autografos  de  Colon,"  Madrid,  1892. 

[Translation.] 
On  July  13  Christobal  de  Torres  sold  at  Seville,  2  marks,  7  ounces,  4  ochavas  of  gold, 
at  453,  the  weight  of  a  cestellano.  On  August  12,  at  Valladolid,  Carbajal  sold  2  marks,  6 
ounces,  4  ochavas,  3  tomins,  almost  all  of  which  was  given  by  him  in  payment  of  the 
clothing  which  he  bought  for  himself.  September  11,  at  Arcos,  Carbajal  sold  G  ounces, 
2  ochavas,  1  tomin,  3  grains.  All  was  sold  at—  September  19,  Burgos,  4  ounces,  7 
ochavas,  3  tomins  were  weighed.  October  7,  Carbajal  sold  7  ounces,  4  ochavas,  5  tomins, 
8  grains,  at  445.  October  25,  Burgos,  Carbajal  sold  7  ounces,  4  ochavas,  1  tomin,  10 
grains,  at  445.  November  12,  Burgos  Carbajal  sold  1  mark,  6  ounces  and  7  ochavas,  less 
14  grains,  at  448.     December  17,   Burgos,   Caibajal    sold  7  ounces,  5  ochavas  and  3 


ORIGINAL    PAPERS    PERTAINING    TO    COLUMBUS,  207 

tomins,  at  446.  January  10,  Burgos,  Carbajal  sold  1  mark,  6  ounces,  1.  ochavt,  at  — 
February  6,  Burgos,  Carbajal  sold  7  ounces,  4  ochavas,  4  tomins,  4  grains,  at  445.  Febru- 
ary 13,  Burgos,  Juan  Antonio  sold  7  ounces,  6  ochavas,  1  tomin,  at  450.  February  28, 
Burgos,  Juan  Antonio  sold  4  marks,  5  ounces,  6  ochavas  and  3  tomins,  at  fSJi  March  15, 
or  before,  Burgos,  Juan  Antonio  sold  1  mark  (this  item  covers  the  transaction  or  busi- 
ness of  the  "funda") ,  charged  to  him  at  453.  December  30,  Burgos,  Juan  Afvtonio  sold 
to  the  silversmith  who  made  the  seal  4  ounces,  2  ochavas,  3  tomins,  at  448.  January  24, 
Burgos,  Carbajal  sold  1  mark,  4  ochavas,  3  tomins,  at  --  March  3,  Juan  Antonio  gave 
to  the  silversmith  in  payment  of  the  necklace  made  by  him,  1  ounce  and  2  tomins,  at 
453.  The  sum  of  91  reals  was  due  to  the  said  silversmith  for  47  links,  which  the  necklace 
has,  at  2  reals  per  link.  At  the  foot  of  the  page  on  the  left  corner  Columbus  made  the 
the  following  note:    Two  hundred  and  thirty-four  doredos  which  Don  Diego  gave 

m  >  on 

The  title  given  by  Columbus  to  this  paper,  written  by  him  across  the 
left  margin,  was:  "Statement  of  the  gold  sold  in  Castile  up  to  the 
months  of  -— " 

969.  Original  draft  of  letters   of  Columbus    relating  to  his  claims   and  privi- 

leges— a  rough  draft,  with  erasures  and  corrections  all  in  the  handwrit- 
ing of  Columbus. 

Columbus  states  in  what  is  left  of  the  first  paragraph  that  the  Queen 
had  suggested  a  compromise  in  regard  to  his  claim  of  one-eightb  of  the 
profits  free  from  expenses,  and  that  he  accepted  it. 

In  the  "second  he  speaks  of  the  number  of  people  he  had  to  take  to  the 
Indies,  and  how  in  this  respect,  as  in  some  others,  the  orders  given  and 
the  promises  made  had  been  often  modified.  He  says  that  all  that  he 
did  was  as  directed  by  the  persons  to  whom  the  Queen  had  entrusted 
this  business. 

In  the  third  he  expresses  his  readiness  to  appoint  some  person  to 
attend,  in  his  name,  to  the  settlements  of  his  claims,  if  so  desired. 

In  the  fourth  he  says  that  he  never  asked  any  value  to  be  forcibly 
fixed  for  anything  purchased  for  his  vessels.  He  only  had  expressed  the 
desire  that  when  exorbitant  prices  were  demanded,  undue  advantage 
being  taken  of  the  necessity  of  circumstances,  an  equitable  reduction 
should  be  secured  through  the  government. 

In  the  fifth  he  explains  that  he  wishes  in  use  of  the  privileges  granted 
him  to  control  the  appointment  of  officers,  not  for  the  purpose  of  dis- 
tributing patronage  and  increasing  the  number  of  employes,  who  are 
already  too  many,  but  in  order  to  watch  them  and  remove  them  at  once 
whenever  necessary. 

In  the  sixth  he  says  that  he  agrees  to  the  measures  suggested  to  avoid 
the  thefts  of  gold. 

970.  Original  draft  by  Columbus  for  one  hundred  gold  castellanos. 

Dated  at  Granada,  23d'  October,  1501. 

Most  Virtuous  Sir: 
I  pray  you  to  cause  one  hundred  gold  castellanos,  which  I   need  here  to  go  to  Seville 


208  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

to  be  loaned  to  me.    You  will  be  pleased  to  order  them  to  be  given  to  the  bearer,  Diego 
Tristan,  my  majordomo,  who  Will  acknowledge  the  receipt  thereof  on  the  back  of  this 
draft. 
Done  on  Friday,  the  22d  of  October,  1501. 

S. 

S.    A.    S. 

X.    M.    Y. 

The  Admiral. 

On  the  back.     (In  the  handwriting  of  some  one  else.) 

X 
The  Admiral  of  the  Indies.    3    x    1    v    ii    j    p    d. 
I,  Diego  Tristan,  do  hereby  acknowledge  to  have  received  of  the  treasurer,  Alonzo  de 
Morales,  the  one  hundred  gold  castellanos  to  which  the  present  draft  of  the  admiral 
refers,  said  amount  being  equal  to  48,500  maravedis.    In  whose  testimony  I  have  here- 
unto subscribed  my  name,  at  Granada,  on  the  23d  of  October,  1501. 

DIEGO  TRISTAN.     (Autograph.) 

Memorandum  in  continuation  of  the  above  in  Columbus'  handwriting: 
The  above  amount  was  deducted  from  the  150,000  which  afterward  were  given  to  me 

at  Seville,  by  order  of  her  Highness,  to  aid  me  in  defraying  the  expenses,  and  the  receipt 

of  which  I  acknowledged. 

971.  Original  draft  by  Columbus  in  favor  of  Diego  Rodriguez,  dated  1504. 

Francisco  de  Morillo: 

Pay  to  Diego  Rodriguez,  the  master  of  the  vessel  named  -,  as  many  dollars  in 

gold  as  may  be  equivalent  to  sixteen  thousand  maravedis,  the  value  of  40  quintals  of 
hard  tack  which  he  sold  me  for  the  use  of  the  crew,  at  the  rate  of  400  maravedis  the 
quintal. 

Pay  him,  furthermore,  eight  ducats,  which  are  the  price  of  two  fixtures  for  the  sails. 

Pay  also  to  the  taid  Diego  Rodriguez  eighty  dollars  in  gold,  which  is  the  fare  of  the 
25  persons  who  will  go  with  me  from  here  to  Castile. 

He  will  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  all  the  above  on  the  back  of  this  draft. 

Done  Friday,  the 7th  of  September,  1504. 

Xpo  FERENS.     (Autograph.) 

972.  Fragment  of  an  envelope  with  the  seal  of  Columbus  and  the  words  "la 

corte"  (the  court),  and  his  usual  invocation,  "Jesus  cum  Maria  sit  nobis 
in  vita"  (May  Jesus  and  Mary  be  with  us  in  life),  written  in  his  own 
hand  on  one  edge. 

973.  Draft  drawn  by  Columbus  in  favor  of  Rodrigo  Vizcaino  and  Francisco 

Nino,  1504. 

[Translation.] 
Francisco  del  Morillo: 

Pay  Rodrigo  Vizcaino  56  reals,  value  of  eight  casks  which  were  bought  for  the  cara- 
vel, at  the  rate  of  seven  reals  each.    The  sum  is  equivalent  to  three  dollars  and  a  half. 

Pay  also  to  Francisco  Nino  98  reals,  as  follows:    42  reals  for  4  casks,  and  the  balance 
for  3  sets  of  hoops  and  rings  for  cooperag3.     In  all  two  dollars  and  a  half  and  one 

min. 

Done  at  the  6hip  of  Diego  Rodriguez  this  8th  day  of  September,  1504. 

Xpo  FERENS.     (Autograph.) 


ORIGINAL    PAPERS    PERTAINING    TO    COLUMBUS.  20Q. 

974.  Signature  of  Columbus  as  viceroy  affixed  at  the   foot   of   a   commis- 

sion issued  by  the  Catholic  kings,  appointing  Juan  Pestana  treasurer 
of  the  mint  of  the  Isla  Espafiola. 

Preceded  by  statement  of  the  date,  also  in  Columbus'  handwriting. 
"Twenty-ninth  day  of  January  of  the  year  of 
our  Saviour  one  thousand  and  five  hundred. 

S. 

S.  A.  S. 

X.M.  Y. 

The  Viceroy. 

Supposed  to  be 

Servus 
Supplex  Altissimi  Salvatori 
Christus,  Maria,  Joseph. 
Or,  in  English, 

Humble  Servant  of  the  Most  High  Saviour, 
Christ,  Mary  and  Joseph. 

975.  Autographic  paper  given  by  Columbus  to  Juan  Pestana,  treasurer  of 

the  mint,  in  the  name  of  the  Catholic  sovereigns,  1500. 

976.  "  Autografos  de  Cristobal  Colon,  y  Papeles  de  America." 

Autographs  of  Christopher  Columbus  and  American  papers.  Published 
by  the  Countess  of  Berwick  y  de  Alba  (Condessa  de  Siruela),  Madrid, 
1892.  Presented  by  the  Countess  to  William  E.  Curtis.  Sumptuous 
and  valuable  work  containing  autographs  of  Columbus,  autographic  let- 
ters and  papers  referring  to  America. 

The  Duchess  of  Berwick  and  Alba  has  been  for  a  number  of  years  the 
leader  of  Madrid  society,  recognized  as  much  alike  by  her  position, 
beauty  and  accomplishments.  She  is  the  daughter  of  the  Duke  of  Yer- 
nan-Nunez,  a  famous  name  in  Spain,  and  belongs  to  a  family  that  has 
numbered  the  great  ones  of  three  centuries  among  its  friends  and 
admirers  ;  as  Velasquez,  Titian,  Cervantes,  Calderon,  Lope  de  Vega, 
kings,  queens  and  princes.  She  is  as  intelligent  and  intellectual  as  she 
is  beautiful,  and  has  recently  given  to  the  world  the  preceding  volume, 
extracted  from  the  famous  archives  of  the  House  of  Alba,  which  have  so 
long  contained  literary  and  historical  treasures  of  inestimable  value. 
From  this  collection,  which  embraces  documents  of  the  reigns  of  Charles 
V  and  others,  and  which  has  been  the  object  of  many  a  literary  pilgrim- 
age to  Madrid  by  devout  students,  the  countess  has  taken  the  most  im- 
portant, referring  especially  to  Columbus  and  the  early  voyages  to 
America,  and  has  given  them  to  the  world  in  a  volume  that  has  received 
the  encomiums  of  all  critics.  Published  in  1892,  with  the  special  object 
of  contributing  to  the  "  Centenaria  "  at  Madrid.  The  volume  is  also  par- 
ticularly timely  in  its  appearance  on  this  side  of  the  water  for  the  Expo- 
sition of  1893, 
14 


210  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 


SECTION  Q.     THE  VATICAN  EXHIBIT. 


Valuable  historical  documents  and  objects  of  art  from  the 
archives  of  the  Vatican.  Loaned  by  His  Holiness  Leo 
XIII,  in  compliance  with  a  resolution  of  the  Congress  of 
the  United  States. 

990.     Letter  from  His  Holiness,  Pope  Nicolas  V. 

Dated  Rome,  September  20,  1448,  to  the  Irish  bishops  of  Skahlolt  and 
Holar,  concerning  the  condition  of  the  Church  in  Greenland. 

It  has  long  been  asserted  by  certain  Scandinavian  writers  that  the 
archives  of  the  Vatican  contain  evidence  to  prove  the  alleged  voyages 
of  the  Norsemen  to  America  in  the  tenth  century,  as  related  in  the  Ice- 
landic sagas;  and  some  years  ago  a  woman  petitioned  the  Congress  of 
the  United  States  to  request  His  Holiness,  the  Pope,  to  cause  an  inves- 
tigation to  be  made.  No  notice  was  taken  of  the  petition,  but  it  may  be 
stated  upon  authority  that  no  such  documents  exist.  The  records,  how- 
ever, do  show  that  the  Scandinavian  colonies  in  Greenland  were  under 
the  supervision  of  the  church  as  early  as  the  beginning  of  the  tenth  cen- 
tury, and  this  letter  from  Pope  Nicolas  V,  dated  September  20,  1448,  to 
the  bishops  of  Ireland  refers  to  such  colonies.  It  informs  them  that  all 
the  inhabitants  and  indigenous  peoples  of  the  Island  of  Grcenlandia 
(Greenland),  situated  at  the  farthest  Arctic  confines  of  the  world,  per- 
tain to  the  Archbishopric  of  Drontheim.  That  for  thirty  years  the 
pirates  of  the  neighboring  islands  have  devastated  the  country,  leaving 
in  the  shelter  of  the  craggy  mountains  only  nine  parish  churches  of  that 
flourishing  Christianity,  founded  six  centuries  before  in  that  region 
under  the  Holy  King  Olaf  and  placed  under  the  shelter  of  the  Holy 
Apostolic  See,  where  there  was  once  a  noted  cathedral.  The  me- 
morial asserts  that  the  barbarians  had  carried  away  many  captives, 
of  which  a  few  had  returned  to  their  hearthstones  and  were  occupying 
themselves  in  repairing  the  ruins  of  the  temples.  For  this  reason  the 
Pope  gives  authority  to  the  above-named  bishops  as  the  nearest  to 
Grcenlandia,  to  ordain  priests  and  properly  provide  the  parishes  with 
churches,  and  to  consecrate  as  bishop  a  suitable  person,  with  the  agree- 
ment or  consent,  if  obtainable,  of  the  Metropolitan. 


THE    VATICAN    EXHIBIT.  211 

991,,     Bull  of  His  Holiness  Alexander  V  to  the  sovereigns  Ferdinand  and  Isa- 
bella of  Spain,  dated  Rome,  May  3,  1493. 

As  early  as  1438  the  Pope  had  been  called  upon  to  settle  the  rivalries 
between  Spain  and  Portugal,  and  had  issued  a  bull  authorizing  the 
Spaniards  to  sail  west  and  the  Portuguese  south.  When  Columbus 
returned  from  his  first  voyage  the  Spanish  sovereigns  notified  the 
Vatican,  and  asked  the  authority  of  the  church  to  continue  the  explora- 
tions. In  response  to  this  request,  Alexander  VI  concedes  the  same 
privileges  over  the  West  Indies,  discovered  and  to  be  discovered,  as 
were  granted  by  the  Holy  See  to  the  Kings  of  Portugal  on  the  west 
coast  of  Africa,  properly  called,  and  of  Guinea. 

992.  Bull  of  His  Holiness  Pope  Alexander  VI,  to  Ferdinand  and  Isabella, 

supplemental. 

In  regard  to  the  grants  and  privileges  in  the  Western  Indies  and 
amplifying  the  same.     Rome,  4th  of  May,  1493. 

993.  Bust  of  Pope  Alexander  VI. 

994.  Bust  of  Pope  Nicholas. 

Original  in  Imperial  Museum,  Berlin. 

995.  Bull  of  the  Pope  Alexander  VI  to  Ferdinand  and  Isabella,  commending 

the  discoveries  of  Columbus  and  drawing  a  line  of  demarcation 
between  the  dominions  of  Spain  and  Portugal, dated  Rome,  May  4, 
1493- 

The  Portuguese  ambassador  at  Rome,  having  under  instructions  from 
his  sovereign  questioned  the  discoveries  of  Columbus,  the  Pope  issued 
a  second  edict,  known  as  the  Bull  of  Demarcation,  commending  the 
achievements  of  Columbus  and  declaring  that  the  Spaniards  were 
entitled  to  possess,  "on  condition  of  planting  the  Catholic  faith,"  all 
lands  not  already  occupied  by  Christian  powers,  west  of  a  meridian 
drawn  one  hundred  leagues  west  of  the  Azores  and  Cape  Verde  Islands. 

996.  Bull  of  Pope  Alexander  VI,   dated   Rome,   June  25,  1493,  confirming 

Father  Boyl,  the  first  missionary  priest  to  America,  who  accompanied 
Columbus  on  his  second  voyage,  and  conferring  upon  him  ample 
powers  to  govern  ecclesiastical  affairs  in  the  New  World. 

997.  Letter  from  Pope  Julius  II    to  Don  Ferdinand,    King  of  Aragon  and 

Sicily,  dated   Rome,  April   10,   1507,  commending   Bartholomew,  the 

brother,  and  Diego,  the  son  of  Columbus. 

Recommending  to  the  King  the  persons  of  Bartholomew  and  Don 
Diego,  son  of  Christopher  Columbus,  who  go  to  see  His  Majesty,  after 
an  audience  with  the  Pope. 


212  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

998.  Letter  from  Pope  Clement  VII,  Rome,  7th  June,  1526. 

To  Fr.  Francisco  de  los  Angeles,  Minister-General  of  the  Order  of  San 
Francisco.     "Religiosam  et  sanctam  mentem  tuam." 

Praising  his  zeal  for  evangelical  preaching  in  the  Indies,  and  granting 
him  permission  to  depart  thence  in  the  exercise  of  his  sacred  ministry. 

999.  To  the  Emperor  Charles  V,  from  Pope   Clement  VII,  Rome,  October 

19,  1532. 

Grants  to  the  emperor  for  the  preaching  of  the  faith  in  America,  one 
hundred  and  twenty  Franciscans,  seventy  Dominicans,  and  ten  monks  of 
the  Order  of  St.  Jerome. 

1000.  The  Ribero  chart.  Geographical  map  of  third  decade  of  sixteenth  century. 

A  beautiful  and  complete  map,  on  vellum,  of  the  Old  and  the  New 
World,  drawn  in  third  decade  of  sixteenth  century,eighty-five  centimeters 
high  and  two  and  nine-tenths  meters  wide.  It  bears  an  inscription  stating 
that  it  is  a  universal  map,  containing  all  of  the  world  that  had  been  dis- 
covered up  to  that  time.  Made  by  Diego  Ribero,  cosmographer  to  His 
Majesty,  in  the  year  1529,  at  Seville.  It  was  divided  into  two  parts,  in  con- 
formity with  the  terms  of  the  compact  between  the  sovereigns  of  Spain 
and  King  John  of  Portugal,  at  Tordesillas,  into  1494.  On  either  side  the 
line  of  demarcation,  in  conformity  with  that  compact,  are  the  banners 
of  Spain  and  Portugal,  reaching  America  on  the  coast  of  Brazil.  In 
Peru,  the  conquest  had  gone  as  far  as  the  province  of  Sierra  Morena, 
at  the  southern  extremity,  of  which  appears,  written  in  red  ink,  the  name 
of  a  town  which  was  then  known  as  Chincha,  founded  by  Almagro. 

The  escutcheon  of  Alexander  VII  (1655-67),  and  those  of  the  Chigi 
family,  which  may  be  seen  in  the  center  of  the  map,  at  the  lower  part, 
were  placed  over  a  rough  place  of  the  same  map. 

1001.  Large  map  on  vellum.     Early  part  of  the  sixteenth  century. 

Map  of  the  Old  and  New  World,drawn  in  same  epoch  as  the  preceding 
— size,  one  and  six  tenths  meters  in  height  by  two  and  one-tenth  in  width. 
Its  primitive  inscriptions  have  been  cut  away  and  have  disappeared. 
It  bears  the  well-defined  line  of  demarcation  of  Alexander  VI,  which  does 
not  appear  to  have  been  drawn  by  the  original  cosmographer,  but  by  a 
later  hand.  It  also  shows  a  plan  of  the  city  of  Mexico,  and  illuminated 
portraits  of  Montezuma,  Atahualpa  and  Prester  John.  This  map  and  the 
one  preceding  belong  to  the  college  of  the   Propaganda  Fide   at  Rome. 

1002.  The   Borgian   map   of  America,  by  Diego  Ribero,  geographer  to  His 

Majesty,  Seville,  1529. 

This  relic  of  the  early  stages  of  American  discovery  is  a  contemporary 
copy  of  the  first  Borgian  map,  so  celebrated  in  history  on  account  of  the 
line  traced  across  it  by  Pope  Alexander  VI.     It  must  have  been  begun 


THE   VATICAN    EXHIBIT.  213 

in  or  about  1494  and  finished  1529,  probably  for  the  benefit  of  the  Em- 
peror Charles  V,  to  aid  him  in  settling  some  difficulties  with  the  Portu- 
guese. It  forms  part  of  the  extremely  valuable  collection  left  to  the 
sacred  congregation  of  the  propaganda,  by  Cardinal  Borgia,  the  last  of 
the  family,  who  died  in  1830. 

1003.  Picture  in  Musaico  Tagliato— "St.  Peter  Weeping." 

From  the  Museum  of  the  Vatican.  Half  figure,  after  the  original 
painting  by  Guido  Reni. 

This  is  considered  a  masterpiece — ne  plus  ultra.  Its  execution  re- 
quired six  years'  labor. 

1004.  Picture  in  Musaico  Tagliato — "The  Prophet  Isaiah." 

From  the  Museum  of  the  Vatican. 

After  the  original  fresco  painted  by  Raphael,  in  the  Church  of  St. 
Augustine.  It  preserves  a  precious  work  of  the  immortal  artist 
from  its  situation,  and  the  force  of  circumstances  is  destined  to  perish. 
Its  execution  required  sixteen  years'  labor. 

1005.  Picture  in  Musaico  Filato — "The  Roman  Forum." 

From  the  Museum  of  the  Vatican. 

After  the  original  painting  by  Angelini,  showing  the  remains  of  these 
grand  monuments  (Roman)  as  they  existed  before  the  restorations  of  the 
last  twenty  years.     This  picture  represents  six  years'  labor. 

1006.  Picture  in  Musaico  Filato — "Theology." 

From  the  Museum  of  the  Vatican. 

After  the  original  painting  by  Raphael,  and  cost  the  labor  of  nearly 
six  years. 

1007.  Picture  in  Musaico  Filato. 

From  the  Museum  of  the  Vatican. 

After  an  original  painting  from  the  actual,  representing  the  facade 
and  colonnade  of  St.  Peter  and  the  Vatican  Palace,  when  the  Pope,  from 
the  loggia,  blessed  the  people. 

1008.  Album  containing  fac-simile  reproductions  of  famous  documents  relat- 

ing to  Columbus  in  the  archives  of  the  Vatican.     Furnished  by  His 
Holiness,  Pope  Leo  XIII. 

1009.  Portrait  of  His  Holiness  Pope  Leo  XIII.     By  Chatrau. 

The  collection  of  small  oil  paintings  which  ornament  the  sanctuary 
of  the  chapel  were  furnished  by  the  Pope  for  that  purpose,  showing 
the  interest  His  Holiness  has  taken  in  the  reproduction  of  the  monas- 
tery at  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition. 


214  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 


SECTION     R.       THE   JOHN    BOYD    THACHER    COLLECTION    OF 

VALUABLE  WORKS  REFERRING  TO  THE  DISCOVERY 

AND    COLUMBUS. 


Loaned    by    John    Boyd     Thacher,    Albany,     New   York. 
Numbers. 

1050.  Ptolemy  Cosmographia,  folio  vicentia,  1475. 

This  is  the  first  edition  of  Ptolemy,  but  it  contains  no  maps. 

1051.  Ptolemy    Cosmographia,    folio,    twenty-seven     maps,     Rome;  press 

Arnoldus  Plannick,  1478. 

This  is  the  earliest  Ptolemy  with  engraved  maps,  which  are  on  metal, 
presenting  one  of  the  earliest  examples  of  copper  engravings.  One  sees 
here  the  headwaters  of  the  Nile  fed  from  two  Monies  Lunce.  It  shows 
all  that  was  known  of  the  world  at  the  time  Columbus  set  out  upon  his 
first  voyage. 

1052.  Ptolemy  Cosmographia,  folio,  thirty-two  maps,  Ulm;  press  Leonardus 

Hul,  1482. 

This  edition  is  interesting  as  presenting  the  first  delineation  of  any 
part  of  the  American  continent,  the  configuration  of  Greenland  appear- 
ing on  one  of  the  maps  prepared  by  Nicolaus  Denis.  It  would  seem  to 
indicate  that  the  latter  knew  something  of  the  Norse  map-makers. 

1053.  Ptolemy  Cosmographia,  large  folio,  thirty-four  maps,  Rome,  1508. 

This  edition  of  Ptolemy  contains  the  first  engraved  map  showing  the 
results  of  the  Columbian  discovery.     It  was  made  by  Johan  Ruysch. 

1054.  Ptolemy  Cosmographia,  large  folio,  twenty-seven  double  maps,  Venice, 

i5«. 

In  this  edition  of  Ptolemy  is  found  a  map  of  the  New  World,distinguish- 
ing  it  by  the  name  Terra  Sanctce  Cruets.  It  is  the  first  representation 
of  the  continent  of  North  America. 

1055.  Ptolemy  Cosmographia,  large  folio,  forty-seven  maps,  Strassburg,  1513. 

This  edition,  besides  the  twenty-seven  maps  belonging  to  the  ancient 
Ptolemies,  contains  twenty  new  maps  made  by  Martinus  Hylacomylus, 
the  author  of  the  Cosmography  Introduction  printed  at  Saint  Die  in  1507. 

[See  No.  980.] 


THE    JOHN    BOYD    THACHER  '  COLLECTION.  21  5 

1056.  Ptolemy  Cosmographia,  large  folio,  forty-seven  maps  and  two  spheres, 

Strassburg,  1522. 

This  edition  is  the  first  of  the  Ptolemaic  series  to  place  the  name 
America  upon  a  map.  [See  No.  977.]  Both  North  and  South  America 
are  shown. 

1057.  Ptolemy  Cosmographia,  small  octavo,  Venice,  1548. 

The  colophon  is  dated  1547. 

This  may  be  regarded  as  the  consummation  of  the  Ptolemaic  series. 
Space  forbids  giving  other  examples.  Here  the  configuration  of  the 
two  continents  is  plainly  seen.     It  is  the  first  Italian  edition  of  Ptolemy. 

1058.  Sabellicus,    Marcus  Antonius,    large    folio,    Rhapsodae     Historiarum 

Enneades,  Venice,  1498,  1504. 

In  the  second  volume,  the  eighth  book  of  the  tenth  Ennead  contains  a 
brief  biographical  sketch  of  Christopher  Columbus,  the  first  ever  printed. 

1059.  Autograph  of  Rene  II,  Duke  of  Lorraine. 

Son  of  Yolande  d'  Anjou,  and  grandson  of  the  good  King  Rene.  The 
patron  of  the  Vosgian  Gymnase,  under  whose  auspices  the  Cosmo- 
graphia' Introductio  was  printed.     Letter  signed  November  18,  1505. 

1060.  Cosmographiae    Introductio,  Waltseemuller  (Martinus  Hylacomylus), 

first  edition,  Saint  Die,  VII   Kalends  May,   1507;  quarto,  fifty-two 
leaves,  twenty-seven  lines  to  a  full  page. 

It  is  in  this  book  that  the  suggestion  was  first  made  of  calling  the  New 
World  A7nerica. 

1061.  Cosmographiae  Introductio,    Waltseemuller  (Martinus  Hylacomylus), 

Strassburg,  1509;  small  quarto,  thirty-two  leaves. 

This  is  the  edition  of  which  Ferdinand  Columbus,  the  son  of  the 
admiral,  had  a  copy  and  which  he  fully  annotated.  He  offered  no  pro- 
test or  comment  in  regard  to  the  suggestion  of  naming  the  New  World 
after  Americus. 

1062.  Giustiniani  Psalterium,  Genoa,  1516,  folio,  title   1  leaf-f  4  leaves-f-199 

leaves. 

This  is  the  first  Polyglot  psalter,  and  is  printed  in  Hebrew,  Chaldean, 
Greek,  Arabic  and  Latin.  It  contains  an  early  biographical  sketch  of 
Columbus  under  that  passage  (verse  4)  of  the  XIX  Psalm,  beginning 
In  otnnetn  terram.  This,  for  a  long  time,  was  believed  to  be  the  earliest 
biography  of  the  great  navigator.  It  asserts  that  Columbus  Vilibus 
ortus  parcntibus. 

1063.  Solinus,    Julius,  Polyhistor,    with   notes   by   Johannes  Camers,  folio, 

Vienna,  1520. 

This   book  contains  an  engraved  map  of  the  New  World  by  Petrus 


2l6  THE    RELICS    OF    COLUMBUS. 

Apianus,  and  is  the  first  time  the  name  America  appears  on  any  en- 
graved map, 

1064.  Oviedo,  Gonzalo  Fernandez,  Historia  de  L'Indie  Occidentali,   Venice, 

1534. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  second  book  is  the  earliest  printed  map  of  the 
Island  of  Spain  or  Hayti,  showing  Navidad,  where  Columbus  lost  his 
flagship  Santa  Maria,  and  the  city  of  Isabella,  the  first  two  settlements 
in  the  New  World. 

1065.  Columbus,  Ferdinand,  Histoire     .      .      .     E    relatione   della   vita   dell 

Ammiraglio,  small  8vo,   247  leaves  in  addition  to  title  and  tables, 

Venice,  1571. 

This  is  the  first  known  edition  of  the  life  of  Columbus  by  his  son  Fer- 
dinand. It  was  translated  from  the  Spanish,  but  whether  from  a  printed 
edition  or  a  manuscript  we  do  not  know. 

1066.  Jovius,  Paulus,  Elogia  Virorum  Illustrium,  large  folio,  Bale,  1575. 

This  volume,  page  191,  Book  IV,  contains  the  first  published  likeness 
of  Columbus.     This  engraving  was  made  from  a  painting  in  the  Jovian 
gallery  at'  Como. 
*o67.     Autograph  order  of  Pope  Alexander  VI  (Rodigo  Borgia).  Dated  1497. 


OF  " 

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